MLB Stat Leaders 2020 postseason - Top baseball players ...

Barring a matchup in the postseason, this season is the first since 1873 in which the Cubs and Braves did not play each other. Similar streaks going back to the 1880s ended for each of the "original eight" National League franchises, while the eight charter American League clubs saw some 120-year-old rivalries put on hold.
The New York Yankees completed their 28th consecutive winning season. The median age for all Yankees this year was 28.5. The longest streak of consecutive winning seasons belongs to the 1926-64 Yankees, with 39.
Although there were no 100-win teams this year, two teams posted a winning percentage equivalent to 100 wins: the Dodgers and Rays. Four teams hit the century mark last year.
Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins snapped a 10-year streak of losing seasons, the San Diego Padres ended a run of nine, and the Chicago White Sox halted a run of seven. The Phiadelphia Phillies take the bad-luck lead by posting their ninth consecutive year without a winning season (it's not a losing streak per se, since they finished at .500 last year).
The Pirates and Rangers lost the equivalent of 100 games, down from four teams a year ago.
The Minnesota Twins posted a home record of 24-7, good enough for the best home winning percentage since 1932.
The oldest player this year was Albert Pujols, born January 16, 1980. He was one of just three 40-year-old players this season, one of the lowest totals in modern baseball history. No players born in the 1970s are active.
The youngest player this year was Luis Garcia of the Nationals, who was born May 16, 2000. The gap of 20 years 4 months between oldest and youngest player is the smallest since 1900.
Eighteen players appeared in every game this season. Among them was Whit Merrifield, who also appeared in every game last season and the final 85 games of 2018. His 307 consecutive games played makes him the current Iron Man leader, and assuming there are no further interruptions to the major league schedule, he will pass Cal Ripken with his 2,633rd game around the beginning of June 2035, at the age of 46.
There were two no-hitters this year, the fewest since 2017. There has not been a perfect game since 2012.
For the first time since 1983, no player hit for the cycle.
DJ LeMahieu's .364 batting average is the highest since 2009. He is the first player to win the batting title in both leagues.
Juan Soto's .490 on-base percentage, .695 slugging percentage and 1.185 OPS are the highest since 2004.
Although mentioning counting stats is not particularly useful this year, you "only" have to go back to 1945 to find a season without a 30-HR hitter.
Shane Bieber's 1.63 ERA was the lowest since 1994.
Max Fried posted a 1.000 winning percentage, the first qualifying pitcher ever to do so.
Kenta Maeda averaged a 0.750 WHIP, the lowest since 2000.
Trevor Bauer's 5.055 H/9 is going to the be the lowest in the history of the game.
Shane Bieber managed a 14.198 K/9 ratio, also the best ever.
Bauer posted two shutouts, which even in a shortened season is still more than anyone had in 2018. The number of complete games in MLB this season was also comparable to last year.
Francisco Lindor committed a throwing error in the final game of the season. It was his first error of 2020, and prevented him from becoming the first shortstop in history to post a 1.000 fielding percentage.
Lloyd McClendon is the first manager with a perfect replay challenge record.
The Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers enter the postseason with losing records, something previously accomplished only by the 1981 Royals.
Of the sixteen teams in the postseason field, the Cleveland Indians have gone the longest without a championship, having last held the trophy in 1948. Their drought of 71 years is the fifth-longest in the annals of baseball history.
Three postseason contenders have never won the World Series at all: the Padres, Brewers, and Rays.
The Brewers are hoping to win their first league pennant since 1982. The Mariners hold the active record at 43 years without a World Series appearance.
Speaking of the Mariners, their failure to reach the postseason at all makes it 19 years in a row, the current active leader in all of the Big Four sports.
Of the teams who did make it into October, the Marlins had waited the longest, snapping a 16-year run of fall golfing. The Padres and White Sox also ended double-digit droughts. 28 out of 30 teams have made the postseason within the last seven years.
The Dodgers play on for the eighth straight year, the longest streak since the 1995-2007 Yankees.
Nine of the ten 2019 postseason teams are returning in 2020, the most ever. Had the postseason not been expanded, there would have been six or seven returnees (depending on STL's makeup games); the record had previously been seven.
The Yankees have not won under a Republic president since 1958.
The Twins have lost eight straight postseason series and have not won a single postseason game since 2004. Of the metro areas with teams in all four major sports, the Twin Cities has gone the longest without a championship (1991).
Meanwhile, the Marlins have famously never lost a postseason series.
For the third year running the Astros and Brewers could potentially meet in the World Series after having previously won pennants in the opposite league. The first Series played between teams who previously won pennants in other leagues was 2017 between the Astros (once part of the NL) and Dodgers (once part of the AA).
From 1978-87, no team won the World Series twice. The current streak is six and will be extended to seven if anyone other than the Cubs or Astros gets a ring.
The Yankees have faced 24 different franchises in the postseason. Of the five clubs they haven't seen in October, three - the Rays, Blue Jays, and White Sox - are potential opponents this year (the other two are the Rockies and Nationals).
The Yankees have already faced seven of the eight NL postseason contenders, defeating six of them (they lost to the Marlins). The eighth is the Brewers who they defeated in the 1981 ALDS. The Dodgers have already faced five of the eight AL postseason contenders in the World Series, defeating four of them.

Potential World Series rematches:

Astros over Dodgers (2017)
Athletics over Cubs (1910, 1929), Cardinals (1930), Reds (1972), Dodgers (1974)
Blue Jays over Braves (1992)
Braves over Athletics (1914), Yankees (1957), Indians (1995)
Cardinals over Yankees (1926, 1942, 1964), Athletics (1931)
Cubs over Indians (2016)
Dodgers over Yankees (1955, 1963, 1981), White Sox (1959), Twins (1965), Athletics (1988)
Indians over Dodgers (1920), Braves (1948)
Marlins over Indians (1997), Yankees (2003)
Reds over White Sox (1919), Yankees (1976), Athletics (1990)
Twins over Cardinals (1987), Braves (1991)
White Sox over Cubs (1906)
Yankees over Cardinals (1928, 1943), Cubs (1932, 1938), Reds (1939, 1961), Dodgers (1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1977, 1978), Braves (1958, 1996, 1999), Padres (1998)
Additionally, Cardinals defeated the Brewers in the 1982 World Series, when Milwaukee was in the AL, and the White Sox defeated the Astros in the 2005 World Series, when Houston was still in the NL.

Last championships among the postseason field:

Astros 2017 (over Dodgers 4-3)
Cubs 2016 (over Indians 4-3)
Cardinals 2011 (over Rangers 4-3)
Yankees 2009 (over Phillies 4-2)
White Sox 2005 (over Astros 4-0)
Marlins 2003 (over Yankees 4-2)
Rays never (established 1998)
Braves 1995 (over Indians 4-2)
Blue Jays 1993 (over Phillies 4-2)
Twins 1991 (over Braves 4-3)
Reds 1990 (over Athletics 4-0)
Athletics 1989 (over Giants 4-0)
Dodgers 1988 (over Athletics 4-1)
Brewers never (enfranchised 1969)
Padres never (enfranchised 1969)
Indians 1948 (over Braves 4-2)

A Nelson Cruz Appreciation Post

NFL midseason awards

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We have made it through the first eight weeks of the 2020 season and it’s time to hand out some trophies (not literally of course, since we have to wait until the year is over). I already did this when I predicted the entire season about a week before we kicked things off and a lot of the candidates I mentioned back then, you will here again, but at the same time, some guys have kind of come out of nowhere. For some of these categories, three names were enough, while for a few others I mentioned two more notables. So who have been my MVP, Defensive Player and Coach of the Year, among others, for the first half of the season? Plus, at the bottom I added my All-Pro teams at this point.
Also make sure to check out my detailed recap of NFL week eight.

Most Valuable Player:

I think three candidates have kind of separated themselves from the rest of the pack in this MVP discussion and the guy I have at the top has been there all season long, because no other player has been more valuable to his team and their success.

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1. Russell Wilson
I have always said Wilson is one of the premiere quarterbacks in the NFL and that the only thing holding him back from quite putting up the same numbers other MVP candidates have produced is his own coaching staff and the conservative he plays in. Well, this year Brian Schottenheimer & company have finally listened to Seahawks fans screaming to “let Russ cook” and he has been smoking hot. Russ is top three in completion percentage (71.5%) and yards per attempt (8.4) and yards per game (307.3), leads NFL with a passer rating of 120.8 and 26 touchdown passes, which makes up for more than one TD every 10th attempt – also an NFL-best mark. And the crazy part is that his team has needed him to be that explosive, since Seattle’s defense has given up an average of 460.9 yards per game – easily the most of any team in the league. The Seahawks themselves are scoring an NFL-best 34.3 points per game and their season-low(!) 27 points came in a matchup, where he led one of his two game-winning drives on the season (versus Minnesota). He is also the only quarterback with multiple starts to not have lost a fumble all season long. The only blemish on Wilson’s resume and the Hawks lone loss came at Arizona in a Sunday Night game, where their quarterback threw three of his six interceptions on the year and that was his only performance that he had a passer rating below 100 in. However in that game, he lit up the Cardinals with the deep ball and made some incredible plays throughout the night. And if you break down the three picks he threw, two of them came by defenders who had to cover a ton of ground and no quarterback would have anticipated them to even be a factor, while on that third one D.K. slowed down for a back-shoulder throw The Seahawks put 35 points on the Patriots, 31 against the Dolphins number-one scoring defense and just now 37 against San Francisco – and it could easily been more if the came wasn’t completely out of hand in the fourth quarter.

2. Patrick Mahomes
I know Mahomes has five TD passes less than Russ despite having played one more game, but he also only has one interception on the year – and that one came when he pushed it downfield on a 4th & long towards the end of the Chiefs’ only loss on the season. He is also behind only Wilson in quarterback rating (115.0) and first in QBR (86.8), with the latter thanks to what he has done taking off when nothing is there, which he has really gotten great at once he sees 2-man or other favorable situations. Of the 34 times he has taken off, nine have resulted in first downs and he finished in the end-zone twice. Of course this is still about Mahomes and Kansas City trashing opposing teams with all those weapons in the passing game. With defenses playing a lot more soft coverage against the Chiefs, Mahomes has taken advantage underneath with those short completions, while still finding ways to allow his receivers to uncover on secondary routes and getting the ball to them from all different angles. So his intended air yards may not be overly impressive, because of all the screens and stuff they draw up, and he might “only” be sixth in yards per attempt, but Pat is still tied for first with 31 passes of 20+ yards. He absolutely picked apart the Ravens defense in that huge Monday Night showdown, which tried every coverage and blitz package imaginable and the quarterback had an answer for all of them, completing some throws nobody in the league could make. The Chiefs’ season-low in points (23) came at the Chargers, when he certainly didn’t start out great, but still found a way to lead a comeback and win in overtime. And even in their only loss of the season against the Raiders, it was the opposing offense converting a sneak on fourth down, that denied Mahomes a chance to finish their late push.

3. Aaron Rodgers
When you look at Rodgers’ most impressive statistic for his career it is his ridiculous touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4.47, which is a full point better than the next-closest guy (Russell Wilson) and twice as good as anybody that hasn’t played in the 2010’s. Well, right now he has the second-best rate for this season, behind only Patrick Mahomes at 20-2, and those two picks came in his only bad game at Tampa Bay. I’m not going to sugercoat this in any way – after going up 10-0 and once that pass-rush from the Bucs was unleashed, he could not get anything going. With that being said, he has been phenomenal in the six other contests, having throw less than 3 TDs in only of them and his lowest QB rating being at 107.6, with both of those thing coming against Detroit in week two, when the Packers just didn’t need him to crazy and still put up 42 points, as Aaron Jones got loose on multiple occasions. And Rodgers had not fumbled until that very last play we saw from him, as he was stripped from behind while trying to launch a Hail Mary at the end of the Vikings game. By the way, he was incredible in that loss as well, as the only two times the offense was stopped, Equanimeous St. Brown had consecutive passes go off his hands and then the refs for no apparent reason picked up the flag on a blatant pass interference against Robert Tonyan inside the red-zone. Rodgers leads the league with seven completions of 40+ yards and right now Drew Lock is the only starter in the league with a higher mark in yards beyond the sticks (0.9) – which when you look at the rest of the numbers isn’t always an endorsement for the second-year QB, as Lock has three more INTs on 100 less attempts. And outside of Davante Adams – who has missed some time – Rodgers hasn’t really been able to rely on any of his receivers, as they are tied for the most passes dropped at 18, even though the other two QBs with that number have played one more game than Green Bay.

Notables: Josh Allen & Tom Brady

Offensive Player of the Year:

Of course, you could name the same three candidates from the MVP section here, but I tried to mix things up a little and give you three other names worthy of the award. And that includes only one quarterback.

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1. Alvin Kamara
I know that this award is often given to quarterbacks as well and it looks odd that Kamara is 16th in the league in rushing (431 yards), but he is averaging five yards per carry and he is also second to only DeAndre Hopkins among all players with 55 catches for an additional 556 yards through the air – so just over 10 yards per grab. Right now he is on pace for 2256 scrimmage yards on right around 20 touches a week, while he would also easily break the NFL record for receiving yards for a running back (1271 over 1191 from Charley Taylor in 1966). And he leads the league not only in scrimmage yards but also percentage of his offense’s yardage (36.5%), while being tied for first with 12 plays of 20+ yards on the season. While he has caught a couple of key wheel routes and can win as a downfield receiver, so far 94.5(!) percent of his receiving yards have come after the catch, constantly bailing out his quarterback by making something happen after checkdowns and ripping off big gains in the screen game. I mean against the Packers he caught 13 of 14 targets for 139 yards and he was the only reason they were in that game in the first place. The explosiveness, the contact balance and the ability get six or seven yards when there should be only three is unmatched. Kamara has scored reached the end-zone seven times and his only fumble, he recovered himself again. He is by far the best player on this Saints offense and the team overall and in the absence of Michael Thomas, he has been asked to shoulder the load for them. Since his lowest output in the season-opener, Kamara has not been held under 119 scrimmage yards in any other week.

2. Kyler Murray
While Murray is only 16th among current starters in passing yards per game, only Russell Wilson and by about half a yard Justin Herbert have put up more combined passing and rushing yards at 326.3 a week. Right now, only Joe Burrow and Matt Ryan have been responsible for more combined first downs and touchdowns, and those two have played a full matchup more than the Cardinals and both just won their second games of the season, while Kyler is doing it in service of a 5-2 team, which outside of his own production has averaged less than 100 rushing yards on a weekly basis. As a runner, he leads all NFL players (with double-digit carries) in yards per attempt at 6.7 and 35 of his 65 carries led to first downs or touchdowns (seven TDs). I would not call Arizona’s passing game overly explosive, as Kyler is barely in the top 20 in yards per attempt (7.3), 20+ yard throws (21) and average yards to the sticks (-0.9), but a lot of that has to do with what Kliff Kingsbury wants to do with his Air Raid-based offense, while his QB is tied for second with six throws of 40+ yards and already has an 80-yarder on his resume. Plus, with that guy at the helm, they have the potential to get as hot as pretty much any team out there. Kyler had one really bad game against the Lions, in which Detroit used a lot of different coverages that had them all over the Cardinals route patterns, but #1 has been outstanding the rest of the year and I don’t come away from a lot of games thinking that a lot of his production was served up by the play-calling. I said a couple of weeks that Deshaun Watson is the most elusive quarterback in the league, but nobody is quicker at evading defenders and keeping himself upright. We all love Russell Wilson and his ability to extend plays, but just compare these numbers – Russ has been pressured 79 times and he’s been hit or sacked on 50 of those, Kyler on the other has been pressured 44 times (significantly less due to more of a horizontal passing attack), but he’s only been sacked nine times and taken five more hits (14 total). And Kyler already outdueled Russ on Sunday Night of week seven.

3. Derrick Henry
King Henry is once again holding the crown for the league’s rushing leader at this moment. His 775 rushing yards are 123 more than any other player in the league, and while that is in correlation with handling the most carries of all RBs, he still averaging 4.8 yards per attempt, despite being asked to grind away games for the Titans. Right around 30 percent of his touches has resulted in a first down or touchdown (43 total first downs and eight TDs) and about 58 percent of his total yardage has come after contact. Nobody wants to tackle King Henry, because he can plow through 300-pounder defensive linemen at the point of attack and throw DBs around like ragdolls, when he gets around the edge (looking at you, Josh Norman), but at the same time, once he gets rolling, he is as fast as any player on the field, which we saw already when he ripped of an NFL-long 94-yarder against the Texans a couple of weeks ago. The difference between Henry and some of the other franchise backs is that he doesn’t contribute a whole lot in the passing game outside of a few screens (10 catches for 81 yards), but nobody takes on a bigger load than this guy and he really sets the table for everything the Titans do, with the heavy play-action and bootlegs. Usually this guy really starts rolling over the second half of the season, but he has been dominant right from the start this year. When you look at the three games Henry didn’t put 112+ yards on the ground, in two of them the opposing defense totally sold out against the run and Ryan Tannehill completed 75 percent of his passes with seven TDs and no picks, while the team scored 33 and 42 points respectively, and the other one came against the Steelers’ dominant defensive front. On the other hand, he also has the most scrimmage yards in a game all season, when he destroyed the Texans for 264 yards and took over that one overtime drive, to win it.

Notables: The three MVP candidates

Defensive Player of the Year:

I think there is pretty clear top three in this one as well and I can honestly see an argument for each one of them to be the pick, but I have stuck my selection (and bet) of a guy I believed would come back even hungrier in 2020.

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1. Myles Garrett
This was my preseason pick for Defensive Player of the Year and similar to Russell Wilson’s MVP campaign, I have been riding this all season long. Myles Garrett is tied for a league-high nine sacks and only two players have hit the opposing quarterback more overall than him. The only two games he didn’t record a sack (the season-opener at Baltimore and this past week against the Raiders), the opposing team ran the ball on 56 and 65 percent respectively and somehow all those sacks he has put up have come in big moments – a strip on Joe Burrow to set up the offense at the Bengals 1-yard line after they were just stopped on fourth down in an eight-point game, another against Washington after the Browns finally extended the lead to more than one score, stripping Dak Prescott when the game was tied at 14 and set off a 27-0 run, setting the offense up in field goal range for their first points in the rematch with Cincinnati and while it won’t be found on the stats sheet, he also directly forced a safety on a throw-away by Philip Rivers to make it a two-score game against the Colts. The only other player that has forced four fumbles just like Myles is Ravens DB Marlon Humphrey, who has become a Peanut Punch specialist – and Garrett has also recovered a couple of those himself, with both of them directly setting up touchdown for the offense from short distance. Plus, he is excellent run-defender, who can yank blockers to the side and makes tackles around the line scrimmage, with only one miss on the season. Myles has grown so much with his technique as a pass-rusher, while obviously having that incredible combination of length and athleticism, but also might have gotten “looser” in his movement and how he can torque his body different ways. And the Browns are now using him as a mismatch against guards on passing downs quite a bit.

2. Aaron Donald
Just like he has been the last five years or so, Aaron Donald is right up there with the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year and I would not be surprised at all if he won his third trophy at the end of the season. Donald is tied with Myles Garrett for the league-lead in sacks at nine and he is top five in total pressures (22) and QB hits (13), despite offensive lines sliding his way constantly. We have literally seen this man get triple-teamed and lift All-Pro offensive linemen off their feet, but only T.J. Watt has a higher pass-rush win percentage according to Pro Football Focus (25%). This guy is the only player with a four-sack performance this season and not only does he obviously contribute in a major way himself, but because of the way he gives his teammates one-on-one’s consistently, his Rams only have three other teams in front of them in terms of sacks as unit (26), despite not having a lot of names that you would recognize, outside a questionable former first-rounder in Leonard Floyd. And I just mentioned the only two players with more forced fumbles than Donald (Garrett and Humphrey), who has three himself. He has also recorded seven tackles for loss and only missed one of his 26 tackling attempts. The crazy part with his game is that for all the numbers you can actually see, there’s about twice as many plays he makes that don’t show up anywhere in the records. The only reason I don’t have him at number one is that he has four games without a full sack and that Garrett has been a little more consistent at coming up with those real game-changing plays. Still, AD is clearly right up there.

3. T.J. Watt
And then this guy is as complete an edge defender as we have in the league. Watt can set the edge at the point of attack, he can chase ball-carriers down from behind as the unblocked man at the line and this past Sunday against Baltimore, we saw him take both guys at times on those read-option plays. Of his 25 tackles on the season, 12 have resulted in lost yardage, which is tied with teammate Vince Williams for a league-high. As a pass-rusher, Watt is “only” tied for fourth with 6.5 sacks, but his 21 hits on opposing QBs is four more than any other player in the league and the 27 total pressure are three more than the next-closest guy as well, while PFF has him tagged with the highest pass-rush win rate in correlation with that (27%). And he headlines the most destructive pass-rush in the league, as the Steelers defense leads the league with 30 sacks and easily has the highest pressure percentage of any unit out there at a whopping 35.0 percent. Watt has also batted down three passes and picked one off. He can do your classic flat drops or carry guys out of the backfield at times, but he can also stand up and move around the line to blitz from different angles or act as a spy at times. He surprisingly has yet to force a fumble this season, but I can remember right now on the very first play he was on the field against the Titans, a good 20 quarterbacks would have lost the ball in that moment with Watt swiping at it, and since he led the league in that category last season, I have no doubt he will rack up a few of those FFs still.

Offensive Rookie of the Year:

This award has two quarterbacks battling it out at the top right now, with one young star receivers and a couple of running backs – one picked in the first round and the other going undrafted – who are also in the running.

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1. Justin Herbert
I get that coaches always try to protect their young quarterbacks and want to give them time to learn from the sidelines, but I hope everybody gets that Herbert and Tyrod Taylor aren’t even close to each other. And I have always liked Tyrod as a bridge-starter or game-manager type, but this rookie QB has taken this offense to a completely different level. When you just look at the schedule, you see that the two QBs have the same amount of wins on the season (only one for Herbert against the Jaguars), but in the season-opener the Chargers only put up 16 points against the Bengals, who have given up 28.2 per week from that point on, and L.A. has scored 27.2 points a game since then. It is not Herbert’s fault that his defense has let him down in the second half of games and allowed big comebacks. He took Patrick Mahomes & company to overtime, had his team up 24-7 against the Bucs before a fumble a minute until halftime started turning things around, he outplayed Drew Brees at the Superdome and was inches away in overtime from pulling off a game-tying or -winning drives and before the Bolts defense allowed an epic collapse last Sunday, they were dominating the Broncos 24-3 midway through the third quarter. The way Herbert has opened up the offense with the deep ball is incredible, with two 70+ TDs on the resume already, and he makes the whole field available, after they were very limited before. Among current starters, Herbert is third in passing yards per game (303.3) and second in combined touchdowns per game (3.0), while also being top ten in completion percentage, yards per attempt, quarterback rating and QBR. He is on pace to throw for 4550 yards and 38 touchdowns to go with about 350 rushing yards and five more TDs on the ground, over the course of a 15-game season. Those numbers would shatter all rookie records.

2. Joe Burrow
No other team has thrown the ball more than the Bengals (330 pass attempts) and their quarterback leads the league with 221 completions on the season (67% completion percentage). With 11 touchdowns compared to five interceptions, that ratio doesn’t look overly impressive, but he has set up a lot of short rushing TDs, while Cincinnati barely cracks 100 rushing yards per game as a team and only one other squad averages less yards per carry (3.7). Until this past weekend, Burrow was tied with Carson Wentz for the most-sacked quarterbacks in the league, but thanks to a non-existent pass-rush for the Titans, in large part due to the spread-based passing attack the Bengals bring to the table, a clean week has the Bengals QB at “only” 28 sacks so far. However, he has been under the fire all season long, being tied for third with 79 total pressures, despite only eight quarterbacks spending less time in the pocket. And Burrow has yet to complete less than 60 percent of his passes in any game. I know the Bengals were blown out in that one Ravens game, but do we realize that was their only loss by more than one score? They tied the Eagles in a game where Burrow was sacked eight times and hit every other snap, they scored 30+ in their two matchups with the Browns, they were up 21-0 against the Colts in the second quarter and just this past Sunday they beat the recently 5-1 Titans by double-digits. And I would argue their rookie quarterback is by far the biggest reason for it. They are already guaranteed a better record this year than last season, as we are halfway through the season – and they are getting better every week. This guy is the future in Cincinnati. Now they just need to protect him and get that defense going.

3. Justin Jefferson
I know that Odell Beckham Jr. was the only wide receiver to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year in the last ten years and I wouldn’t put anybody on the same level as that historic season, but since then this is the most impressive start we have seen for a rookie receiver. Through seven games, Jefferson has caught 31 of his 40 targets for 563 yards and three touchdowns. That puts him 12th among all receivers in yards per game, while having recorded a league-high 14.1 yards per target and 22 of his 31 grabs has resulted in a fresh set of downs. After a rather slow start, with five catches for 70 yards through the first two weeks, Jefferson came onto the scene with 71-yarder against the Titans and now already has three games of 100+ receiving yards, while only having played 74 percent of the snaps on the season. Jefferson has only dropped one pass and not fumbled once, while Kirk Cousins when targeting the rookie receiver, has a passer rating of over 100 despite having thrown four picks and I wouldn’t put a single one of those on the receiver definitely, as on a couple of them there was a linebacker dropping underneath a deep crosser that Cousins stared down the whole way, a badly underthrown pass into a tight window and on another one he and the rookie wideout clearly weren’t on the same page in terms of the route he was supposed to run. Through eight weeks, Jefferson is Pro Football Focus has the second-highest grade among all NFL receivers. I have always been a fan of Adam Thielen and he is Cousins’ favorite target, but to determine who opposing teams believe is more dangerous, all I have to do is watch the Packers put Jaire Alexander on the first-year man for almost the whole game last week.

Notables: James Robinson & Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Defensive Rookie of the Year:

For the defensive side of the ball, this rookie selection was a little tougher, because there are a few guys that have filled the stat sheet across the board, but you don’t have those typical front-runners with a lot of sacks or interceptions, which usually take home the honors.

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1. Antoine Winfield Jr.
When I look at who I believe is the best pro player among all defensive rookies already, I would say this is the name that comes to mind. Tampa Bay’s defensive scheme isn’t simple. They ran a lot of different coverages, they can blitz anybody and there are a lot of rules that you have to understand as a member of that unit. Winfield has come in and looked him he belonged from the first time he touched the field. The rookie safety has played 515 of 522 snaps on defense and he shows up quite a bit in the box score. He has recorded 31 solo tackles and only two misses all season long, showing off what a dependable tackler he is in space. He has intercepted a passe and broken up four more, plus he has forced fumble. And call it P.I. or not, he denied a two-point conversion to potentially tie the game this past Monday Night against the Giants. To go with that, he has asked to blitz 29 times in Todd Bowles’ pressure-heavy scheme, resulting in two sacks and three extra hits on the quarterbacks. What made me a big fan of Winfield coming out of Minnesota was the versatility he presents and the fact he played so much bigger than his size would indicate. The Bucs coaching staff has utilized a lot around the line of scrimmage a lot and I love how he drives on routes in quarters coverage. He gas been “credited” with giving up just over 200 yards and two touchdowns, to go with a passer rating of 114.4 in coverage, but I think about half of that production came on two plays in the Chargers game, once with him ending up as the closest defender on a deep bomb, when the other safety should have actually opened up and then on a scramble drill play, where Keenan Allen uncovered late against him.

2. Patrick Queen
Baltimore has a rich tradition of middle linebackers, but not so much when it comes to LSU players, with Ozzie Newsome as an Alabama alumn not having drafted a single Tigers player in over 20 years as the Ravens GM. This year, with Eric DeCosta calling the shots, they wanted to bring in a dynamic player to put in the middle of their defense and when Patrick Queen surprisingly was still on the board when they were making their first-round pick this past April, it didn’t matter which college he came from. Queen was immediately put in the starting lineup and he has been filling up the stat sheet from the start. In seven games, he has recorded 48 combined tackles, four of them for loss, two sacks to go with five more QB hits, two fumbles forced and recovered, including a long scoop-and-score. His speed at the second level to string guys out to the sideline or get to the quarterback on delayed blitzes has been a big reason this defense has gone to a higher level in 2020. Of course, he is still a first-year player and not perfect. Queen has already missed 11 tackles and there have been some moments where the rookie seemed a little confused. Two that come to mind right away – the Chiefs running that double-swing fake before throwing the TE screen over the middle, where they had Queen’s head spinning and then last week against the Steelers, where I’m pretty sure he should have covered tight-end Eric Ebron in man, but thought he had the back and that allowed Ebron to easily score on a shallow crosser from 18 yards out. He is learning and we have already seen moments, where he just sees it and goes, shutting down plays before they can even get going, while he obviously has a knack for the ball.

3. Jeremy Chinn
One of the small-school prospects I loved in this most recent draft was this 6’3”, 220-pound safety from Southern Illinois, who put up ridiculous numbers at the scouting combine and showed incredible potential on film. So far, he has put up 38 solo tackles – most by any rookie in the league, has intercepted one pass and broken up another five. Chinn has been all over the field, with his ability to cover ground and erase angles for the ball-carrier. One of the two or three negatives I had about him and why I had him around the top 50 and not even higher was the ability to process information post-snap, to not just have his talent take him to the ball, but also the anticipation and identification of certain keys to react quickly. I believe Matt Rhule, defensive coordinator Phil Snow and that entire staff has done an outstanding job of simplifying Chinn’s assignments and just letting him around and make plays. Once he sees something happening in front of him, he can get there as fast as pretty much any player in the league and the Panthers have allowed that talent to flourish. The biggest issue for him are the ten missed tackles so far, but he’ll clean that up as well. Through eight weeks, Chinn has played 96 percent of the defensive snaps and been a fixture on the punt team as well, where he had a huge first-down run against the Falcons in last week’s Thursday Night game on a fake. As he gets more comfortable in the system, I expect him to become a bigger part of the pass-rush, because his closing speed as a blitzer is just absurd.

Notables: Jaylon Johnson & Julian Blackmon

Comeback Player of the Year:

As I say every year when making my preseason picks, this is the most vague award of the list, because there are so many different ways you can look at it – players who were hurt for most/all of last season, guys who had a few off-years and then those who were out of the league altogether.

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1. Ben Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger is completing 67.9 percent of his passes and while he is only 25th in passing yards per game (232.6), a lot of that has to do with being part of a 7-0 team with the best defense in the league and trying to run down the clock late in games a lot of times. Big Ben has been really steady for Pittsburgh, not having completed less than 63 percent of his passes yet for a total of 15 touchdowns compared to only four interceptions, with five games that didn’t include any turnovers from him. Of those four picks, one came on a wobbling 50-50 pass, where Juju immediately called for pass interference, one came in the end-zone on the final play before halftime and another was batted up by a defensive lineman right into the hands of a linebacker. The Steelers are tied for third with converting 49.5 percent of their third downs and even though their run game is about average, they control the clock primarily with the short passing game, where their quarterback gets everybody involved. And when his team has needed him most Big Ben has come through, with two go-ahead touchdown drives in fourth quarters and taking over on crucial drives, with no-huddle attacks and almost exclusively going in the shotgun to spread it around. In the battle of unbeatens at Tennessee, the Steelers were up 24-7 at halftime, with Roethlisberger converting all four third downs with nine or more yards to go. This past Sunday in Baltimore in a huge AFC North clash with the Ravens, the Steelers offense could not get anything done for the first half plus, with Lamar Jackson gifting his opponents 14 points directly off turnovers, but when Pittsburgh needed to a couple of touchdowns to go ahead, their quarterback came through, as they threw the ball on 15 of those 18 plays and the three runs resulted in -1 yard (+ a touchdown). To do this after a season-ending elbow injury on his throwing arm last year is impressive.

2. Jason Verrett
For this one we have to go all the way back to like 2015 and even before that. Jason Verrett was a first-team All-American selection in 2013 and then a first-round pick for the Chargers coming out of TCU. After showing a ton of potential in an injury-riddled rookie campaign, he became a Pro Bowler in his second season with three interceptions and 12 more passes deflected, including a pick-six. The next two years, he only played a combined five games with consecutive ACL injuries and then missed all of 2018 with a torn Achilles. His bad injury luck would follow him to San Francisco however, as he would go on IR with an ankle injury shortly after signing with the 49ers last year. Now, finally in 2020 he is back on the field and balling out. Verrett had a big interception in the end-zone against the Rams a couple of weeks ago and three PBUs the rest of the season, having started the last six games. However, it is the more advanced stats about what the veteran corner has done in coverage that are really impressive. On 25 targets, he has given up just 123 yards and no touchdowns. Plus, he is a highly dependable tackler, having only missed one attempt all season and holding opposing receivers to just 32 yards after the catch. The 49ers had major issues with their corners for large stretches of the season, as Richard Sherman has been on IR since week one and the with Emmanuel Moseley also missing some time, those other guys on the boundary have gotten roasted in some of their matchups. Not with Verrett. He has easily been a top ten player at his position so far and I don’t know how you can take him out of the starting lineup, once they have Sherm and Moseley back together.

3. Aldon Smith
I thought long and hard about putting Rob Gronkowski here, because after Gronk look like his feet were stuck in mud early on, he and Tom Brady are not operating at a really high level again, and it almost seems like the big tight-end got his confidence back. However, I decided to go with somebody who was not one but five(!) years out of the league and as we all know, this award is a lot about the stories of these players. When Aldon Smith was drafted in 2011, it was immediately between him and Von Miller as the best young edge rusher in the league, and Smith out-produced the Broncos All-Pro with 14 and 19.5 sacks in his first two years, before he entered a rehabilitation center midway through 2013 season, when he has on path for another one of those years. The two following seasons, he looked like a shell of himself in San Francisco and then Oakland, as his mind clearly wasn’t right, with several off-the-field issues leading two suspensions that cost him the 2016 and ’17 seasons. Now, all the way in 2020, he is back with the Dallas Cowboys and especially early on he looked like a dominant player on the edge. Smith is now at five sacks on the season, with three of those coming against the Seahawks, as he was the only defensive player that kept his team in the game, with additional hits on the quarterbacks. To go with that, he has made some nice tackles in the run game, fighting off blocks and getting hands on the ball-carrier. He has cooled off a little bit these last few weeks, but the lack of production is more a product of how bad the Cowboys defense has been as a whole and long much they’ve been on the field. If he was on a team right now, that allowed him to rush in obvious passing situation, he could potentially be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

Notables: Rob Gronkowski & Alex Smith

Play of the Year:

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1. D.K. Metcalf chase-down tackle on Budda Baker after the INT
One of the greatest hustle plays you will ever see and it started a meme fest on the internet.

2. Derrick Henry 94-yard touchdown run vs. Texans
The combination of speed and power is freakish for this dude. He tore Houston a new one.

3. Odell Beckham Jr. going 60 yards on the reverse vs. Cowboys
Of couese bad effort and angles by the Dallas defense, but this looked like Giants Odell.

All-Pro teams:

Since this is not about building a team or anything like that, I just went to the most used personnel sets for either side of the ball – 11 personnel and nickel defense – and filled up those spots with who I believe have been the best players at those positions. So there is differentiating between left and right tackle, 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 were put together as “EDGE” and there are just any two stand-up linebackers inserted.

Offense:

LT David Bakhtiari
LG Quenton Nelson
C Corey Linsley
RG Wyatt Teller
RT Duane Brown
Second team: Laremy Tunsil, Michael Onwenu, Jason Kelce, Gabe Jackson & Ryan Ramczyk

WR DeAndre Hopkins
WR D.K. Metcalf
WR Davante Adams
TE Travis Kelce
Second team: Calvin Ridley, Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson & George Kittle

QB Russell Wilson
RB Alvin Kamara
Second team: Patrick Mahomes & Derrick Henry

Defense:

DE Myles Garrett
DT Aaron Donald
DT Chris Jones
DE T.J. Watt
Second team: Khalil Mack, Jeffery Simmons, Cam Heyward & Calais Campbell

LB Fred Warner
LB Lavonte David
Second team: Darius Leonard & K.J. Wright

CB Kyle Fuller
CB Jaire Alexander
NB Marlon Humphrey
Second team: James Bradberry, Jalen Ramsey & Jason Verrett

FS Minkah Fitzpatrick
SS Budda Baker
Second team: Jessie Bates & Antoine Winfield

Coach of the Year in the comments!!

If you enjoyed this content, I would really appreciate if you could visit the original piece - https://halilsrealfootballtalk.com/2020/11/05/nfl-2020-midseason-awards/
Also make sure you check out my detailed recap of the NFL's week eight on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXx87t1Dcvk

2020 r/baseball Power Rankings -- Week 5: Lots of Movement Outside of Top 3, D'Backs Bite Back, Mets Do Not Enjoy Their Week, Bird Report: Orange Good, Blue Neutral, Red MIA but Returns Next Week!

Hey Sportsfans — it's time for Week 5 of baseball's 2020 Power Rankings — Five weeks and we are not any closer to understanding what's going on this season or maybe I've just watched too many Giants games. Please enjoy these powerful rankings.
The Cardinals are banished again but they will be returning next week if all goes as planned.
Every voter has their own style / system and the only voting instructions are these:

"To an extent determined individually, you must take into account how strong a team is right now and likely to be going forward. You must, to some degree, give weight to the events and games of the previous week."

TRANSPARENCY: this link will show you who voted each team where and has added neat statistics!
If something is a little messed up, feel free to ~~pester me~~ let me know.
Total Votes: 30 of 30. A perfect vote!

#	Team	Δ	Comment	Record
1	Dodgers	0	Resistence is futile. All must bow down to your leader, Mookie Betts. Fun Fact: Frank Robinson is the only man to ever win an MVP in both the American League and the National League. I don't know about y'all, but I'm starting to think he has a pretty good shot at finally getting some company	16-7
2	Yankees	0	From a semi-disappointing 8 game 5 loss week to a pleasant 5 game 5 win week, the Yankees look strong again. This roster feels like it is too brittle to handle the rigors of a difficult travel schedule, what with Judge, Giancarlo and DJ out. Even more telling is the 9-0 Home record (obviously best in the league). Upcoming this week is the remainder of the homestand for four games against the Rays and Sox, and then a "road trip" to Citi Field.	15-6
3	Athletics	0	The 2020 A's are excelling in several areas- dingers, walks, and "stupid clutch" hits beyond the 8th inning. Matt Olson has 8 HR's, 4 1Bs, 2nd lowest average on the team. Laureano got his suspension knocked down but sat out the weekend. Which left Canha, Piscotty, and Robbie Grossman with his 1.007 OPS/4 steals to carry on. We lost to the Trout's 0-6 TUE, our first shutout. We haven't lost since, and assailed the poor SF closer with 2 historic, yet eerily inevitable comebacks. My first reaction is not triumph, but empathy, because this years SF club has similar failings of the 2015 A's and boy, was that hard to muddle through. 3 game crapshoot playoff round looming? oh, fun	16-6
4	Twins	+1	https://i.redd.it/hjkta6tzjdh51.jpg	14-8
5	Cubs	+1	Losing three one-run games in a row against the Brewers was painful and familiar. I personally am not reading too much into it, since one run games tend to be coin flips. Craig Kimbrel also looked great in his two most recent outings. This week the Cubs play the Cardinals five times in three games and hope to put some more distance between themselves and the rest of the division.	13-6
6	Rays	+3	Is your offense struggling? Water cold? Flappy parts not what they used to be? Sounds like you need a trip to historic Fenway Park, where you can put up 8+ runs a game and revitalize. Some players have even declared the Rays the #1 team in baseball. The Rays capped off a 6-1 week, led by Brandon Lowe (pronounced Lowe) with 4HR, a wRC+ of 297 (205 on the season), and 0.9 WAR. The surge in offense covered up pitching that wasn't at it's best, but they got the job done when it mattered. Oh, the Rays also lead the AL in Runs scored now. Neat!	14-9
7	Braves	-3	sigh We are severly banged up with Acuña and Albies on the shelf. Big City returns this week as a bench bat/DH, but we need someone to step up and STOP STRIKING OUT. Starting pitching is a big issue execpt Fried who is a bonafide ace. A 2-4 week seems pretty damn succesful considering we took a series from the first place Marlins(?!). u/ebennett sums it up: Be quiet, I think he is gonna say something.	13-10
8	Indians	-1	Tribey learned how to hit...uh oh! Sorry, I just watched Happy Gilmore. But seriously, adding some much-needed offense to an already-amazing pitching staff is the key to the Tribe overtaking the Twins in the ALC. Even losing aces/douchebags Plesac and Clevinger to the DL (Dumbass List) the rotation didn't skip a beat, folding in sixth man Adam Plutko with some off-days to make it seem like nothing even happened	13-9
9	Rockies	-1	Maybe the Rockies are who we thought they were? The bullpen is in serious trouble after losing, Oberg, Davis, potentially Carlos Estevez and Jairo Diaz walking the world. Rockies will need Daniel Bard to be more than a feel good story for the rest of the season. Also, isn't it just super cool that Mookie Betts is a Dodger for eternity??? Last week: 2-4 Next week: 2 vs HOU 2 @HOU & 3 @LAD	13-8
10	Astros	+1	Kyle Tucker saved us from yet another extra inning game this season and for that we are eternally grateful. Offense starting to come around a little bit, but pitching is still our glaring weak spot. Blake Taylor is a beast and I will not hear otherwise.	11-10
11	Padres	-1	Here’s a cherry picked stat for ya: In the last five games, the Pads have only scored 3 runs between innings 1-5, meaning 3 runs in 25 total innings. Sunday ended a poor week with awful runner in scoring position numbers, and Tommy Pham having to leave the game during an at bat that ultimately culminated in San Diego’s final out. What does it all mean? We’ve dipped under .500 for the first time this season, free falling on a five game skid. The club will look to rebound at home versus Texas, and Houston, which is a city in Texas.	11-12
12	Brewers	+1	A 10-10 record isn't great, especially when they've scored the fourth fewest runs. However, the bats appear to be waking up and the pitching isn't cooling off. Hat tip to ESPN for calling this out: Milwaukee designated hitters enter Monday hitting a combined .154/.214/.333.	10-10
13	White Sox	-1	The White Sox have to be one of the most frustrating teams this year. They're 500, just like they were last week. After a couple days off, they came out extremely flat in a DH against the Cards and lost both. And then they hit 4 back to back homers the next day. For a team that was expected to hit, they have a bottom 5 BB/K ratio and near the bottom third of runs scored this year. But at the same time, still 500 and currently a playoff team. This team, I don't know man.	11-11
14	Nationals	+1	7(2.7) - 11(2.7) ≈ 19-31	8-11
15	Reds	-1	The Reds are in the midst of their second Covid crisis of the season, as an unnamed player (speculated to be Nick Senzel) has tested positive. There doesn't seem to be any teamwide outbreake, but we all know how quickly these things can change. Still, the team is hopeful they can play on Tuesday. As for the actual baseball we saw, they split with a couple awful teams but looked alright doing it. Jesse Winker and his neck are on a tear, and the bullpen looks better, in no small part to new addition Tyler Thornburg.	9-11
16	Phillies	+1	The Phillies once again had a confusing week. They got swept by the Orioles but pretty much dominated the Mets. The bullpen has looked...better, even servicable in the past three games. The rotation has been solid, led by Cy Young candidate Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. The offense scored 48 runs this week, led by MVP candidates Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto. The division is still in reach, and the Phillies should be in dcent shape to make a run for it. #ResignJT	8-9
17	Orioles	+3	Mid August and the Orioles are a playoff team...what the hell is happening? I would say it's really good hitting or really good pitching, but the team ERA is above 4, their hitting though is tops in MLB in a bunch of categories. I guess this team doesn't realize they aren't suuposed to win. If you bet the over on total wins in Vegas this year then you'll get your winnings soon. Also if this was a full season Dylan Bundy would be on pace for a 21-7 record...ugh.	12-9
18	Marlins	0	Well our lack of depth and replacement players are starting to show. Only thing that has not declined drastically is SP. Thankfully all 17 covid players have been cleared to play and are currently in Jupiter rehabbing. This week we got the mets at home for 4 and then 3 in DC.	9-6
19	D-Backs	+7	The D-backs have actually come to life as of late, getting more consistency out of the offense and more great starts from Gallen and Merrill Kelly. A sweep of the Padres in Chase (where the D-backs could cheat by opening the roof) pulled them ahead of the Friars in the standings, and they're almost through their insanely tough part of the schedule to start the season. Watch out for the Snakes.	11-11
20	Rangers	+2	Wear a Mask. Wash your hands. 3 series wins in a row during the last week helped get the record up to .500. This up coming week with series against the Padres and Mariners will show if this team is for real or not. Lance Lynn for Cy Young.	10-10
21	Mets	-5	This was an interesting week in my personal rankings. We're now 4 full weeks in, I figured it's time to make some sweeping changes instead of only moving teams two or three spots if that. As for the Mets, what can you say? We're a middling team that shows ocasional flashes of brilliance. We dodged two big bullets when it comes to injuries to deGrom, and McNeil, but being swept by the Phillies is a big bullet to take no matter what. With our next 13 being strictly against the Marlins and Yankees, we've got some big tests coming up; Let's see if we pass.	9-14
22	Tigers	-3	It's Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize time!! This Tuesday and Wednesday are the days we've been waiting for all year. Personally, I prefer Skubal over both Manning and Mize, but time will tell which one of the new crop of arms takes off the most. The most MLB-ready position player prospect, Isaac Paredes, is getting the call as well. This week: 4 at CWS, 3 at CLE.	9-10
23	Blue Jays	-0	The ever-exciting Blue Jays continue to find new and interesting ways to lose games. Bo Bichette is probably out for a month, and the Trash Birds are looking more likely to make the playoffs than the ~~Bisons~~ Blue Jays. But Charlie Montoyo has a message for all the would be worriers!	7-11
24	Angels	-3	I was reminded this week by a great Sam Miller article from back in 2016 on what would have happened if any of the teams ahead of the Angels had drafted Mike Trout. It's a great read, but essentially, it boils down to the fact that nearly every other team would have at some point been put over the top in the regular season and had made the playoffs in a season they otherwise didn't had he been on their team. One of the only exceptions to this? The Angels. They've made the playoffs with him once in a season they probably still would have made them without him. It's the most annoying thing to hear as an Angels fan, that they are wasting Mike Trout's career, but if they can't even make them in a year where over half the teams will, I think it's a conversation we're only going to hear more and more. Rightly so.	7-15
25	Royals	+2	The Royals might actually be better than we realized. They're 8-9 against teams that are over .500 and have a +7 run differencial in those games. Can they sneak into the postseason? They may have a better chance than Lloyd Christmas did.	9-13
26	Giants	-2	They are who we thought they were. The Giants have bad pitching, bad defense, bad management, and mediocre offense. After spending the week getting their shit pushed in by the Astros and A's, highlights of which included Zack Greinke calling his own pitches on the mound and Trevor Gott's ERA going up by over 12 whole runs, the Giants own the second worst run differential in the league at -43. This week they play the Angels, in a split series where Albert Pujols will almost certainly tie and then pass Willie Mays on the all time home run leaderboard, followed by the Bumgarner-less Diamondbacks. The only good thing about my new job being all night shifts is that I won't be able to subject myself to Gabe Kapler's Wild Ride on a nightly basis.	8-15
27	Red Sox	-2	I may have ranked the Red Sox 29th this week, but they're truly 30th in my heart. Did you know that over the last 6 games, the Red Sox averaged over 1 run per inning? That's right, the sox gave up 1.167 runs per inning for 6 whole games. I can't believe I'm saying this, but man I miss Rick Porcello. Give me 6 IP 5 ER again.	6-16
28	Mariners	0	Evan White's bat has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been quarantined. Evan is still cleared to play without it, however, his activity at the plate is suffering terribly from it. Here's to wishing his bat makes a full recovery.	7-16
29	Pirates	0	The Pittsburgh Pirates have quit unexpectedly. Please reboot the franchise and try again	4-14

N/A, Quarantined Team||Cardinals|0| The Cardinals are finally back! After going up against the White Sox and putting away both sides of a "doubleheader" and losing on Sunday, they're 4-4 on August 17. DAE this season is weird? |4-4

I decided to manage all 162 games of the season for the first time ever. Here’s the story of how it resulted in my best season ever and a lot of stolen bases.

For the first time ever, I decided to personally manage all 162 games in an MLB season. Typically, I’m the player who might manage a game every now during the regular season and then become more hands on in the playoffs. This allows me to finish more seasons and do what I love most about this game, make transactions, see young players grow and follow career arcs. Entering the 2030 season of my current and only OOTP21 save, I decided to change things up. This experiment took a couple weeks to complete, but below is a long write-up of why I decided to manage every game and the statistical and storyline highlights that came with the experience. For the record this was entirely done in Challenge Mode.
Why I decided to personally manage 162+ games
There were a couple main reasons why I decided to manage every game. The first reason being that this season was the last season with my current core. As a very active General Manager, it is rare that I keep a core together for so long. After finally making it over the hump in 2025, this core had one 5 straight World Series titles, with very few year to year changes in the roster. These guys came together to form a long-lasting dynasty, but with many contracts expiring after the 2030 season, we entered this season knowing things were coming to an end.
Below is a list of the Expiring Free Agents going into the season:
30-year old Starting Pitcher Kumar Rocker. Former All-Star who finished the past 2 seasons 3rd place in CY Young voting on $15 mil/yr.
32-year old Starting Pitcher Roniel Raudes. 3x CY-young award winner who won the pitching Triple Crown in 2028 with a 27-0 record, 2.36 ERA and 270 K in 209 IP. Declined slightly from his peak, but still one of the better pitchers in the league, just no longer the best. Entered the season with one year at $30 mil remaining.
31-year old Designated Hitter Chris Wright. 6x All-Star and 5x Silver Slugger at DH. The White Sox top prospect from 2022 to 2024, he began his career in a big way, blasting 60 HR in his rookie season. He’s spent 6 years in the organization averaging 50 HR, 120 RBI and 103 BB entering the year. Although initially played at first base, he quickly transitioned to a DH only role. Entered the season with one year remaining at $21 million.
34-year old Right Fielder Cody Bellinger. 3x MVP, 12x All-Star, Bellinger may be entering the twilight of his career, but he remains the best RF in the league. Across his first 5-years with the White Sox he averaged 68 Home Runs per year and became the new single season HR-King in 2024 with 77 HRs. In his 7 ½ years with the White Sox before this final season he had become 5th All-Time in WAR with the franchise. He entered the year with one year remaining on an 8 year contract extension, due to pay him $29 million.
29-year old Third Baseman Wander Franco. 2026 MVP and 9x All-Star, Franco has also won gold gloves at both 2B and SS before recently transitioning to 3B. After missing nearly the entire 2028 season to injury, he came back strong and won the Batting Title last season with a .366 batting average. He has one year remaining with $30 million due to him before becoming a Free Agent.
31-year old Left Fielder Juan Soto. 3x MVP and 10x All-Star, Soto is the longest tenured White Sox player going into his 9th season with the team; he was acquired in 2021 for now-fellow MVP LF Eloy Jimenez. Since joining, he’s led the AL in On-Base-Percentage in every single season, 8 years straight. His power has decline slightly since leading the AL in Home Runs in 2022 with 66, but he remains arguably the best hitter both on the team and in the league. The franchise career leader in WAR, the last year in the 8-year extension he signed will pay him $30 million.
In total that’s 34 All-Star appearances while representing the White Sox, to go with along 5 MVPs and 2 CY Youngs. At their prime, these players formed the Sox’ Number 1 through 4 hitters and the One-Two punch at the top of the rotation. With the exception of Rocker, who missed the first two White Sox WS titles, every one of these players had been here for the entirety of the current White Sox dynasty and since Rocker joined they’ve averaged 140 wins per year, including the playoffs. Being that this was their last year together, this was a big year for the organization, the last of possibly the greatest dynasty of all-time. But this was also $155 Million per year in salary coming off the books. For the first time in half a decade, the Chicago White Sox were poised to enter 2031 with a lot of roster flexibility.
The second reason for managing the entire season was a little silly. In 2027, top prospect, and future face of the franchise, Rob Rivas played his first full MLB Season. He would hit 61 HR and steal 82 bases, becoming the first player in MLB history to have not only a 50-50 season, but a 60-60 season. The following season he would fail to live up to the standards he previously set, hitting only 57 Home Runs and stealing only 58 bases, leading the league in both categories. In his 3rd full season, he once again found 60 HR power, muscling a whopping 66 Home Runs over the fence, but was TWO stolen bases short of his second 60-60 season. Frustrated with my manager Gabe Kapler’s reluctance to send Rivas more often, I decided that this would be easily fixed by personally managing every single game.
Well that’s about it. Those are the two reasons I decided to put myself through all of this. Now onto the story of it all.
The 2030 Chicago White Sox season
The Offseason
Coming off of the 2029 World Series title the Chicago White Sox were easy favourites to repeat as champions for the 6th straight time. The starting rotation had won the past 3 AL CY young rewards, the Lineup included 5 different players who had combined to win the last 8 AL MVPs, even the Bullpen had won 3 straight Reliever of the Year awards. It was a stacked deck. Yet this was also likely going to be the end of a dynasty. Of those former MVPs, 3 of them were on expiring contracts. 40% of that feared starting rotation was also set to expire, with #2 starter Blake Snell already having left for free agency. Despite the resounding success of the 20s, the White Sox remained a small-market team, and it was looking unlikely that any of these players would be re-signed. Their $155 million of combined salary already had the White Sox over-budget and it was unlikely that the core even made it to the beginning of the 2030 season intact. The White Sox had to make moves just to enter the season under budget.
The first of these moves happened just days after the World Series. On November 15, 1B/DH Chris Wright was packaged with Relief Pitcher Jerry Nieves and 3 pitching prospects for Milwaukee CF Hedbert Perez. With Hedbert Perez still having 2 arbitration years left, this move was set to save the White Sox over $8 million in salary. It also allowed long-time Left Fielder Juan Soto to transition to DH in his final season with the White Sox, while Perez took over in left. Despite having zero all-star appearances or end of season awards to his name, Perez had hit at least .290 with 27 HR in each of the past 3 seasons to go with plus, plus defense.
On the same day, the White Sox also trade Catcher Kelbert Ruiz to the Phillies. After spending the two previous seasons as the White Sox’ starting catcher, the 4-time All-Star was set to earn $13.5 million in 2030. In return for a package of Ruiz, SS prospect Ben Rivard and a couple draft picks, the White Sox received C Diego Cartaya. Although a slight downgrade at the plate from Ruiz, Cartaya excelled in game managing and leadership and also had 3 years of team control remaining on a modest $6 million/year contract.
Two days later, on November 17th, the White Sox would make their final major move of the offseason, trading away ace reliever Alex Santos to the Cubs for their top prospect Ramon Gonzalez. At his best Santos had a claim to best reliever in the league with a career 12.5 K/9, but recent struggles had seen him demoted to a middle relief role in the White Sox bullpen. As 2030 was set to be the last year with his current club, the White Sox got the best return they could for the relief ace.
Unfortunately, salary restrictions prevented the White Sox from making any Free Agent signings or acquiring any other major league caliber players for the rest of the offseason. And despite actively looking to drop salary even further, no deals more could be struck. So, entering the 2030 season, the White Sox returned 4 of the 5 members of the starting rotation and 7 starting position players.
While keeping the pitching staff intact and shedding salary, the White Sox had actually managed to increase the speed threat of the already dangerous lineup and they entered the 2030 with rumors of a change in game strategy.
The Regular Season
Unfortunately, the 2030 White Sox season began in an underwhelming fashion. On opening day, despite a quality start from ace Mike Bohannon, the new look offense failed to get on-base enough and take advantage of their speed, and the reigning Champions fell to the Los Angeles Angels 2-1. Fortunately the Sox were unphased, returning the following day to steal 11 bases on their way to putting a whopping 13 runs in a 13-1 win. Over the next two weeks, the White Sox would not lose, combining quality starting pitching with an electric offense on way to a 12-1 start to the season. Newcomer Hedbert Perez began his White Sox career in stellar fashion hitting .325 through the month of April while being second in the AL in HR with 13. His outstanding month included a 3 HR game on April 15th and 37 stolen bases overall. On the 14th of the month, the White Sox further upgrade their depth acquiring 5th Outfielder Mike Nelson from the Rangers. Nelson fit the White Sox new mold, having stolen 213 bases in his career at a 92% rate. Later in the month Cody Bellinger would make history, becoming just the 4th player (after Bonds, Aaron and Ruth) to hit 700 career Home Runs.
Despite being 29-3 at the end of April, the White Sox lineup wasn’t even functioning at peak levels. Reigning MVP Rob Rivas struggled in the cold weather, hitting just .182 through the month of April. With his return to form, the White Sox threatened to break some records. May would see the White Sox continue to dominate. With a 25-3 record in the month, the White Sox were approaching the halfway mark with a cumulative winning percentage of 0.900.
Despite the unbelievable beginning to the year, the White Sox were still over budget and needed to find salary relief fast. As a result of pressure from the owner, in the middle of May, the White Sox shipped SP Roniel Raudes to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Despite beginning the season with a 2.50 ERA over 9 starts, Raudes was still due ~$25 million over the rest of the season before becoming a FA. Packaged with former top 100 prospect and RHP Carlos Rodriguez, Raudes netted 2028 7th overall pick RHP Sam Walters and $5,000,000. Despite an underwhelming beginning to his career, Walters was still the 94th best prospect in baseball entering the season. Unfortunately, injuries would derail his season shortly after joining the White Sox organization.
Replacing Raudes in the rotation would be 32nd overall prospect Oscar Arroyo. Arroyo has top of the rotation potential with a plus 98 MPH fastball, elite changeup, plus forkball, and a below average slider. Arroyo had more than proved himself at AAA, starting 34 games across 2 seasons with a 2.55 ERA.
Entering June, the White Sox were finally under budget; locked and loaded for the rest of the season. But just three days into the month, disaster struck. During a June 3rd start, Ace pitcher Mike Bohannon had to be removed from the game with arm discomfort. It was soon learned that Bohannon ruptured a tendon in his tricep and would not be able to return until 2031. After finishing last season with a 22-2 record, a 2.03 ERA and the AL CY Young award, Bohannon was having an even better encore. 9-0 at the time of his injury with a 1.65 ERA, he gave the White Sox a chance to win every time he started a game.
Replacing Bohannon would be a tall task. The White Sox had already promoted it’s most MLB ready pitching prospect in Oscar Arroyo. While there were a couple top pitching prospects still in waiting, the most ready of them, Tony Soto, had already torn his UCL and was out for 14 months. And none of the rest appeared ready for the major leagues. So, the White Sox turned to a known commodity in relief pitcher Alex Renteria. The 26-year old Renteria held a 2.20 ERA across 15 relief appearance so far in the season, but had only made 2 career starts in the MLB. He had entered the majors 4 year earlier with only two above average pitches, but recently begun developing a change-up. Although still a below average pitch, this third offering gave the White Sox front office and management enough hope that he could be a decent fill-in. Renteria took the chance he was given and ran with it. Over 19 starts, Renteria would go 13-2 with a 2.69 ERA. By the time the playoffs came around, Renteria had solidified himself as the number 2 pitcher in the White Sox rotation.
And so June continued just like April and May before it. The White Sox went 14-1 going into the All-Star Break, bringing their season record to 68-7 (0.901 Win%). By this point in the season, previously slumping Rob Rivas and Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit full stride and began to carry their own weight within the fearsome White Sox lineup. Yet somehow the White Sox hadn’t peaked yet and only continued to improve after the break, losing just 3 of their 57 games across July and August and putting together winning streaks of 20 and 25 games respectively, the latter setting a new AL record.
The trade deadline saw the White Sox make a couple of prudent moves to supplement their roster. The first of these moves was trading now starting catcher Ronnier Quintero and prospects to the expansion team Charlotte for All-Star Catcher Alex Valenzuela. With Quintero set to earn a over $10 million in his next year of arbitration, this move freed up salary in the coming years while also creating a strong platoon at catcher. Over just 40 games with Charlotte, Valenzuela had been hitting a remarkable .400 with 21 extra base hits. Unfortunately, he would struggle to make an immediate impact with White Sox, hitting just .256 with a OPS under .700 over the remainder of the season. In addition his lack of speed played horribly within the White Sox’ offensive scheme leading the team in grounded into double plays and blocking the basepaths when he did get on base.
Closer to the deadline, the White Sox further anchored down an already elite bullpen reacquiring Closer Ian Hamilton and his expiring contract in a salary dump for the St. Louis Cardinals. Hamilton would get a single save and maintain a 2.92 ERA, over 15 relief appearances for the Sox.
In another trade, the White Sox acquired OF Kyle Tucker from the Mets. With an average annually salary of $18 million and 1 and ½ years remaining, the Mets were reportedly very desperate to get rid of the now 33-year old outfielder. In eating all the outfielder’s salary, the Mets were able to receive 5 prospects and a draft pick from the White Sox. Although he had decline greatly from his peak, Tucker still had his uses. Replacing the injured Josh Tadlock as the White Sox’ fourth outfielder, there was one thing Tucker still excelled at… stealing bases. So, Tucker was a perfect fit in the White Sox plans.
Losing 4 of their first 13 games of September, the White Sox’ dreams of winning 150 games were squashed quickly, but the team ended the season strong to finish with a unbelievable 147-15 record.
Final Standings
The Postseason
I’m actually going to keep this part short, mainly because I’ve written so much already, partly because I usually manage the post season, so this wasn’t anything new.
Facing off against division rivals Nashville in the Divisional round, the White Sox were very nearly eliminated. After the home team took each of the first 4 games of the series, the trend continued when Bellinger and Soto solo shots carried the White Sox in Game 5 to 3-1 win.
Although an extra-inning game 4 win saw Baltimore prevent the sweep, there was little the Orioles could do to stop the White Sox’ Pennant claim. For the third year in a row, after nearly being eliminated in the Divisional Round and then walking through the League Championship Round, the Chicago White Sox swept their National League opponent in the World Series. This year their “opponent” in this formality was the Philadelphia Phillies.
Going into the Offseason
Of the players listed above as expiring Free Agents, one of them was traded and the other five of them are still set to expire. This will still free up $155 million, but with so much of the core leaving it’s looking likely that the White Sox bring back at most one of these players, while promoting more prospects next year.
Now onto my favorite part of this experiment…
Some (fun) stats

147-15.
.294/.381/.561 with 42 HR, 176 H, 84 BB & 134 SB (82% SB%). That’s the stat line of the average Lineup spot in the order.
21-1 with a 2.90 ERA in 185 IP with 200 strikeouts. And that’s the stat line of the average Starting Pitcher for the White Sox this year. Opposing batters hit just .218 with a .615 OPS against them.
The team averaged 7.55 runs per game, while giving up only 2.81 runs. Good for a RD of +768.
Despite only one Right-Handed hitter in the starting Lineup, the White Sox went 26-3 in games against Left-Handed Starting Pitchers.
Homefield Advantage was real. The White Sox won an astounding 77 games at home, while only dropping 4 games.
FIVE different players passed up Ricky Henderson’s previous record of 130 SBs. A 6th player tied his record. And they ALL did it with a better SB%.
1998 & 2001 are the only seasons in MLB History in which at least 4 players hit 50 home runs. Four players on this White Sox Team did so.
Eleven different White Sox players set new career highs in Stolen Bases.
1203 Stolen Bases (81.7%) as a team. 1203…
Of all starting players… double checks notes… Juan Soto led the team in SB%. He stole 165 bases while only being caught 15 times (91.5%). He had never stolen more than 17 bases in a season before. He was a 31 year old DH.
For some reason the automatic league expansion seemed to have fucked with interleague play. Not a single interleague game was played. Because of this, the entire American League got thoroughly fucked by the White Sox. Outside of the Sox, only 3 other teams finished above .500 in record. The entire AL East finished below .500, with Baltimore winning the division.

Lineup

1. 3B Wander Franco

Stats: 670 PA, 196 H, 32 HR, 103 RBI, 132 R, 60 BB, 44 SO, .327/.384/.578, 158 wRC+, 8.6 WAR, 130 SB (76.5%)

2. CF Rob Rivas

Stats: 687 PA, 149 H, 54 HR, 130 RBI, 165 R, 111 BB, 87 SO, .268/.399/.605, 169 wRC+, 11.6 WAR, 206 SB (86.2%)

3. DH Juan Soto

Stats: 723 PA, 169 H, 54 HR, 152 RBI, 165 R, 124 BB, 126 SO, .292/.408/.629, 169 wRC+, 10.2 WAR, 161 SB (91.5%)

4. LF Hedbert Perez

Stats: 664 PA, 195 H, 52 HR, 149 RBI, 143 R, 80 BB, 106 SO, .340/.419/.669, 188 wRC+, 12.2 WAR, 172 SB (83.5%)

5. RF Cody Bellinger

Stats: 616 PA, 139 H, 47 HR, 124 RBI, 102 R, 78 BB, 143 SO, .265/.356/.571, 144 wRC+, 5.1 WAR, 45 SB (77.6%)

6. 1B Vlad Guerrero Jr.

Stats: 666 PA, 176 H, 52 HR, 129 RBI, 121 R, 66 BB, 92 SO, .301/.371/.612, 160 wRC+, 6.7 WAR, 81 SB (77.6%)

7. 2B Chris Grundmeier

Stats: 624 PA, 167 H, 33 HR, 109 RBI, 105 R, 60 BB, 89 SO, .309/.377/.573, 151 wRC+, 9.5 WAR, 144 SB (82.8%)

8. C Diego Cartaya/Ronnier Quintero/Alex Valenzuela

Stats: Okay two of these guys played for different teams, so I don't really wanna go thru and find the stats for just the White Sox.

9. SS Luke Leto

Stats: 640 PA, 148 H, 22 HR, 88 RBI, 126 R, 86 BB, 130 SO, .271/.372/.460, 124 wRC+, 6.3 WAR, 147 SB (78.6%)
(BOLD = League Leader)
Starting Rotation

1. Mike Bohannon (injured)

Stats: Age 26, 14 G, 14 GS, 9-0, 82.0 IP, 1.65 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 2.79 FIP, 3.7 rWAR

2. Jake Preston

Stats: Age 25, 33 G, 33 GS, 23-0, 180.2 IP, 3.89 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 3.57 FIP, 3.8 rWAR

3. Kumar Rocker

Stats: Age 30, 32 G, 32 GS, 20-2, 176.2 IP, 2.14 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 2.93 FIP, 7.6 rWAR

4. Pat Dean (Rookie)

Stats: Age 28, 31 G, 26 GS, 16-0, 145.2 IP, 3.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.75 FIP, 3.6 rWAR

5. Roniel Raudes (Traded)

Stats: Age 32, 9 G, 9 GS, 5-1, 54.0 IP, 2.50 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 3.21 FIP, 2.0 rWAR

6. Oscar Arroyo (Rookie)

Stats: Age 24, 24 G, 24 GS, 16-2, 145.0 IP, 2.86 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 3.30 FIP, 5.0 rWAR

7. Alex Renteria

Stats: Age 26, 34 G, 19 GS, 14-2, 149.0 IP, 2.60 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 3.07 FIP, 5.3 rWAR
END OF SEASON AWARDS
Gold Glove Award for LF - Hedbert Perez
Reliever of the Year - Jim Sharrow
Silver Slugger Award for 1B - Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Silver Slugger Award for 2B - Chris Grundmeier
Silver Slugger Award for 3B - Wander Franco
Silver Slugger Award for SS - Luke Leto
Silver Slugger Award for LF - Hedbert Perez
Silver Slugger Award for CF - Rob Rivas
Silver Slugger Award for RF - Cody Bellinger
Silver Slugger Award for DH - Juan Soto
CY Young Award - Kumar Rocker
MVP Award - Hedbert Perez
Others receiving CY Young votes (Place) - Jake Preston (3rd), Jim Sharrow (4th), Mike Bohannon (5th), Alex Renteria (6th), Oscar Arroyo (8th)
Others receiving MVP votes (Place) - Rob Rivas (2nd), Juan Soto (3rd), Vlad Guerrero Jr. (4th), Chris Grundmeier (5th), Wander Franco (6th), Cody Bellinger (8th), Luke Leto (11th), Kumar Rocker (16th)
Okay so I have one main takeaway, the AI managers do not steal enough. Despite maintaining much of the same roster, there was such a dramatic increase in SB. I lost count of how many times runners scored, when they otherwise wouldn’t have. Sure, there was the occasional caught stealing that really fucked things up, but overall, it seemed to be worth it as a strategy. Basically, the AI doesn’t utilize good base-stealers as much as they should. As the season went on, I got better about strategizing when to steal, which I’d like to believe further increased my chances of winning. Would I recommend everybody doing this? No, probably not. It’s a huge time investment, and I likely had around the same odds of winning the World Series either way. I didn’t want to add too many player profiles to the original post, but if anybody wants to see specific pages, just ask. I’m happy to include any additional pages/screenshots. Also feel free to ask about the career paths of any players.
Also I apologize the write-up of the season wasn't too in depth. I got tired of writing halfway through and just wanted to get to the stats. Hope people can still enjoy reading.

All-Time Cincinnati Native Team

Hey, all the stove is colder than the weather so I created a team of players from the Cincinnati area (title should have said that, my mistake) A lot of the names listed played for the Reds (I will compile all the names later and post in the comments). Hope you enjoy and do you agree with all of the picks? Who would you switch?
Let me know if there's any sort of formatting or content errors or typos.
Warning: Wall of Text Incoming
Manager: Miller Huggins, Walnut Hills High School, Class of 1897, Managed 1913-1929, Wiki

Manager of the 1920s Yankees Murderer's Row Team
Managerial Record of 1413-1134-23 with a .550 Win-Loss Percentage
3x World Series Champion (1923, 1927, 1928)
6x AL Pennant Winner (1921-1923, 1926-1928)
Member of the Yankees Monument Park, one of only six Yankees to have his plaque mounted on a large red granite block
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1964-VC)

Bench Coach: Don Zimmer, Western Hills High School, Class of 1949, Managed/Coached 1971-2014, Wiki

4x World Series Champion as a Bench Coach/Advisor (1996, 1998-2000)
Managerial Record of 885-858-1 with a .507 Win-Loss Percentage
NL Manager of the Year (1989)
Number "66" Retired by the Tampa Bay Rays
Member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame

Starting Lineup
Catcher: Buck Ewing, Hoagland, Ohio, Played 1880-1897, Wiki
.303 BA, 1625 H, 250 Doubles, 178 Triples, 71 HR, 883 RBI, 294 K, 392 BB, .351 OBP, .807 OPS, 1129 R, 354 SB

9x League Top 9 in Triples (1881-1885, 1885, 1888, 1889, 1892-NL, 1890-PL)
9x League Top 9 in Slugging Percentage (1883-1885, 1887-1889, 1892, 1893-NL, 1890-PL)
8x League Top 8 in OPS (1883, 1885, 1887-1889, 1892, 1893-NL, 1890-PL)
6x League Top 9 in BA (1885, 1888, 1889, 1892, 1893-NL, 1890-PL)
4x League Top 10 in HR (1883, 1885, 1892-NL, 1890-PL)
4x League Top 10 in Offensive WAR (1883, 1888, 1889-NL, 1890-PL)
8x League Top 5 in Assist as a C (1881, 1883-1886, 1888, 1889-NL, 1890-PL)
7x League Top 5 in Fielding Percentage as a C (1881, 1883-1885, 1888, 1889-NL, 1890-PL)
6x NL Top 3 in Double Plays Turned as a C (1881, 1883-1885, 1888, 1889)
5x League Top 4 in Putouts as a C (1884, 1885, 1888, 1889-NL, 1890-PL)
5x League Top 7 in Defensive WAR (1881, 1883, 1884, 1889-NL, 1890-PL)
Tied for 106th in Career SB (354)
Named one of the top five 19th century players in a 1999 poll by the Society for American Baseball Research
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1939-VC)

First Baseman: Kevin Youkilis, Sycamore High School, Class of 1997, Played 2004-2013, Wiki
.281 BA, 1053 H, 254 Doubles, 18 Triples, 150 HR, 618 RBI, 828 K, 539 BB, .382 OBP, .861 OPS, 653 R, 26 SB

3x All-Star (2008, 2009, 2011)
2x World Series Champion (2004, 2007)
Gold Glove Award (2007)
AL Hank Aaron Award (2008)
6x AL Top 10 in HBP (2007-2012)
2x AL Top 4 in OPS (2008, 2009)
2x AL Top 5 in Slugging Percentage (2008, 2009)
2x AL Top 6 in OBP (2008, 2009)
2x AL Top 8 in Doubles (2006, 2008)
3x AL Top 5 in Fielding Percentage as a 1B (2006-2008)
2x AL Top 4 in Fielding Percentage as a 3B (2011, 2012)
2x AL Top 6 in WAR by a Position Player (2008, 2009)
Member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame

Second Baseman: Pete Rose, Western Hill High School, Class of 1960, Played 1963-1986, Wiki
.303 BA, 4256 H, 746 Doubles, 135 Triples, 160 HR, 1314 RBI, 1143 K, 1566 BB, .375 OBP, .784 OPS, 2165 R, 198 SB

17x All-Star (1965, 1967-1971, 1973-1982, 1985)
3x World Series Champion (1975, 1976, 1980)
World Series MVP (1975)
NL MVP (1973)
NL Rookie of the Year (1963)
2x Gold Glove Winner (1969, 1970)
Silver Slugger Award (1981)
3x NL Batting Champion (1968, 1969, 1973)
13x NL Top 9 in BA (1965, 1966, 1968-1970, 1972, 1973, 1975-1979, 1981)
11x NL Top 9 in OBP (1965, 1968, 1969, 1972-1976, 1979, 1981, 1985)
Hold the MLB record for most career hits (4256), singles (3215), times on base (5929), AB (14053), plate appearances (15890), and games played (3562)
Ranked 2nd in Career Doubles (746)
Ranked 6th in Career Runs (2165)
Ranked 14th in Career BB (1566)
Number "14" Retired by the Cincinnati Reds
Member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
Member of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team

Third Baseman: Mike Schmidt, Fairview High School (closed in 1982), Class of 1967, Played 1972-1989, Wiki
.267 BA, 2234 H, 408 Doubles, 59 Triples, 548 HR, 1595 RBI, 1883 K, 1507 BB, .380 OBP, .908 OPS, 1506 R, 174 SB

12x All-Star (1974, 1976, 1977, 1979-1984, 1986, 1987, 1989)
World Series Champion (1980)
World Series MVP (1980)
3x NL MVP (1980, 1981, 1986)
10x Gold Glove Award (1976-1984, 1986)
6x Silver Slugger Award (1980-1984, 1986)
11x NL Top 5 in Fielding Percentage as a 3B (1973, 1975-1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987)
Ranked 16th in Career HR (548)
Ranked 18th in Career BB (1507)
Ranked 20th in Career AB per HR (15.2)
Ranked 25th in Career WAR (106.8)
Ranked 39th in Career RBI (1595)
Ranked 54th in Career Slugging Percentage (.527)
Ranked 55th in Career OPS (.908)
Ranked 57th in Career Total Bases (4404)
Ranked 66th in Career Times on Base (3820)
Ranked 72nd in Career Runs (1506)
Ranked 4th in Career Assist as a 3B (5045)
Ranked 5th in Career Double Plays Turned as a 3B (450)
Ranked 30th in Career Putouts as a 3B (1591)
Number "20" Retired by the Philadelphia Phillies
Member of the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame
Member of Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Member of Major League Baseball All-Time Team
First Ballot Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1995, 96.5%)

Shortstop: Barry Larkin, Moeller High School, Class of 1982, Played 1986-2004, Wiki
.295 BA, 2340 H, 441 Doubles, 76 Triples, 198 HR, 960 RBI, 817 K, 939 BB, .371 OBP, .815 OPS, 1329 R, 379 SB

12x All-Star (1988-1991, 1993-1997, 1999, 2000, 2004)
World Series Champion (1990)
NL MVP (1995)
9x Silver Slugger Award (1988-1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999)
3x Gold Glove Winner (1994-1996)
5x NL Top 9 in WAR (1988, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996)
Ranked 98th in Career WAR (70.4)
4x NL Top 10 in Singles (1998, 1990, 1995, 1999)
4x NL Top 10 in BA (1988, 1991, 1992, 1995)
4x NL Top 10 in Runs (1988, 1994-1996)
3x NL Top 10 in OBP (1991, 1995, 1996)
2x NL Top 5 in Hits (1988, 1990)
7x NL Top 7 in SB Percentage (1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998)
5x NL Top 9 in SB (1988, 1994-1996, 1998)
Ranked 90th in Career SB (379)
6x NL Top 5 in Double Plays Turned as a SS (1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996)
Ranked 26th in Career Double Plays Turned as a SS (1092)
7x NL Top 5 in Assist as a SS (1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999)
Ranked 27th in Career Assist as a SS (5858)
9x NL To 5 in Putouts as a SS (1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994-1996, 1998, 1999)
Ranked 36th in Career Putouts as a SS
8x NL Top 3 in Fielding Percentage as a SS (1990, 1991, 1994-1996, 1998, 1999, 2002)
Number "11" Retired by the Cincinnati Reds
Member of the 30-30 Club, 33 HR and 36 SB (1996)
Member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
Third Ballot Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (2012, 86.4%)

Leftfielder: David Justice, Covington Latin School, Class of 1982, Played 1989-2002, Wiki
.279 BA, 1571 H, 280 Doubles, 24 Triples, 305 HR, 1017 RBI, 999 K, 903 BB, .378 OBP, .878 OPS, 929 R, 53 SB

3x All-Star (1993, 1994, 1997)
2x World Series Champion (1995, 2000)
ALCS MVP (2000)
NL Rookie of the Year (1990)
2x Silver Slugger Award (1993, 1997)
5x League Top 10 in HR (1990, 1992, 1993-NL, 1997, 2000-AL)
4x League Top 9 in OPS (1990, 1994-NL, 1997, 2000-AL)
Ranked 99th in Career OPS (.878)
3x League Top 9 in Slugging Percentage (1990-NL, 1997, 2000-AL)
3x NL Top 8 in BB (1992, 1994, 1995)

Centerfielder: Ken Griffey Jr, Moeller High School, Class of 1987, Played 1989-2010, Wiki
.284 BA, 2781 H, 524 Doubles, 38 Triples, 630 HR, 1836 RBI, 1779 K, 1312 BB, .370 OBP, .907 OPS, 1662 R, 184 SB

13x All-Star (1990-2000, 2004, 2007)
AL MVP (1997)
The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year (1997)
10x Gold Glove Award (1990-1999)
7x Silver Slugger Award (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996-1999)
3x Home Run Derby Winner (1994, 1998, 1999)
Ranked 7th in Career HR (630)
Ranked 7th in Career IBB (246)
Ranked 8th in Career Extra Base Hits (1192)
Ranked 15th in Career Total Bases (5271)
Ranked 16th in Career RBI (1836)
Ranked 34th in Career Runs (1662)
Ranked 37th in Career Slugging Percentage (.538)
Ranked 44th in Career BB (1312)
Ranked 47th in Career Doubles (524)
Ranked 52nd in Career Hits (2781)
Ranked 56th in Career OPS (.907)
Ranked 6th in Career Putouts as a CF (5174)
Ranked 8th in Career Double Plays Turned as a CF (41)
Ranked 14th in Career Assist as a CF (141)
Number "24" Retired by the Seattle Mariners
Member of the 50 HR Club (1997, 1998)
Member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame
Member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
Member of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team
First Ballot Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame with Highest Voting Percentage by BBWAA (2016, 99.3%)

Rightfielder: Dave Parker, Courter Technical High School (closed in 1974), Class of 1969, Played 1973-1991, Wiki
.290 BA, 2712 H, 526 Doubles, 75 Triples, 339 HR, 1493 RBI, 1537 K, 683 BB, .339 OBP, .810 OPS, 1272 R, 154 SB

7x All-Star (1977, 1979-1981, 1985, 1986, 1990)
2x World Series Champion (1979, 1989)
NL MVP (1978)
3x Gold Glove Award (1977-1979)
3x Silver Slugger Award (1985, 1986, 1990)
2x NL Batting Champion (1977, 1978)
2x Edgar Martinez Award (1989, 1990)
All-Star Game MVP (1979)
Home Run Derby Winner (1985)
7x NL Top 10 in Slugging Percentage (1975-1979, 1985, 1986)
Ranked 45th in Career Doubles (526)
Ranked 56th in Career Total Bases (4405)
Ranked 56th in Career Extra Base Hits (940)
Ranked 58th in Career RBI (1493)
Ranked 66th in Career Hits (2712)
Ranked 14th in Career Putouts as a RF (3633)
Ranked 22nd in Career Assist as a RF (137)
Ranked 36th in Career Double Plays Turned as a RF (27)
Member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame

Bench
Catcher: Steve Yeager, Meadowdale High School, Class of 1967, Played 1972-1986, Wiki
.228 BA, 816 H, 118 Doubles, 16 Triples, 102 HR, 410 RBI, 726 K, 342 BB, .298 OBP, .653 OPS, 357 R, 14 SB

World Series Champion (1981)
World Series MVP (1981)
4x NL Top 3 in Caught Stealing Percentage (1978, 1982, 1983, 1985)
4x NL Top 5 in Assist as a C (1975-1978)
4x NL Top 10 in Defensive WAR (1975, 1976, 1978, 1983)
3x NL Top 3 in Double Plays Turned as a C (1976, 1977, 1983)
2x NL Top 4 in Putouts as a C (1975, 1977)

Second Baseman: Bill Doran, Mount Healthy High School, Class of 1976, Played 1982-1993, Wiki)
.266 BA, 1366 H, 220 Doubles, 39 Triples, 84 HR, 497 RBI, 600 K, 709 BB, .354 OBP, .728 OPS, 727 R, 209 SB

4x NL Top 10 in BB (1983, 1986, 1987, 1990)
2x NL Top 9 in Times on Base (1986, 1987)
2x NL Top 10 in Runs (1984, 1986)
Fourth in NL Triples (1984)
Fifth in NL OBP (1990)
Fifth in NL SB (1986)
Seventh in NL Hits (1987)
Eighth in NL Offensive WAR (1985)
2x NL Leader in Fielding Percentage as a 2B (1987, 1988)
3x NL Top 4 in Putouts as a 2B (1983, 1985, 1987)
Ranked within Astros Top 10 in career BB (6th), AB (8th), runs (8th), hits (8th), singles (8th), total bases (9th), and triples (10th)

Third Baseman: Buddy Bell, Moeller High School, Class of 1969, Played 1972-1989, Wiki
.279 BA, 2514 H, 425 Doubles, 56 Triples, 201 HR, 1106 RBI, 776 K, 836 BB, .341 OBP, .747 OPS, 1151 R, 55 SB

5x All-Star (1973, 1980-1982, 1984)
6x Gold Glove Award (1979-1984)
Silver Slugger Award (1984)
12x League Top 5 in Fielding Percentage as a 3B (1973, 1974, 1976, 1978-1984-AL, 1986, 1987-NL)
11x League Top 5 in Assist as a 3B (1973, 1975, 1976, 1978-1984-AL, 1986-NL)
Ranked 5th in Assist as a 3B (4925)
9x League Top 5 in Double Plays Turned as a 3B (1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981-1984, 1986-NL)
Ranked 6th in Double Plays Turned as a 3B (430)
11x League Top 5 in Putouts as a 3B (1973, 1975, 1976, 1978-1980, 1982-1984-AL, 1986, 1987-NL)
Ranked 20th in Putouts as a 3B (1798)
2x MLB Leader in Defensive WAR (1979, 1981)
Ranked 25th in Career Defensive WAR (23.8)
Ranked 99th in Career Hits (2514)
Member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame

Shortstop: Ed Brinkman, Western Hills High School, Class of 1959, Played 1961-1975, Wiki
.244 BA, 1355 H, 201 Doubles, 38 Triples, 60 HR, 461 RBI, .280 OBP, .580 OPS, 550 R, 30 SB

All-Star (1973)
Gold Glove (1972)
10x AL Top 5 in Fielding Percentage as a SS (1964-1967, 1969-1974)
2x AL Leader in Fielding Percentage as a SS (1967, 1972)
9x AL Top 5 in Assist as a SS (1963, 1965, 1966, 1969-1974)
Ranked 38th in Career Assist as a SS (5466)
8x AL Top 5 in Double Plays Turned as a SS (1963, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974)
Ranked 37th in Career Double Plays Turned as a SS (1005)
8x NL Top 9 in Defensive WAR (1963, 1966, 1967, 1969-1972, 1974)
Ranked 50th in Career Defensive WAR (20.4)
6x AL Top 5 in Putouts as a SS (1965, 1966, 1970-1973)
Ranked 50th in Career Putouts as a SS (2924)

Outfielder: Jim Wynn, Taft High School, Class of 1960, Played 1963-1977, Wiki
.250 BA, 1665 H, 285 Doubles, 39 Triples, 291 HR, 964 RBI, 1427 K, 1224 BB, .366 OBP, .802 OPS, 1105 R, 225 SB

3x All-Star (1967, 1974, 1975)
10x NL Top 10 in BB (1965, 1967-1970, 1972-1976)
2x MLB Leader in BB (1969, 1976)
Ranked 56th in Career BB (1224)
7x NL Top 10 in OBP (1968-1970, 1972, 1974-1976)
7x NL Top 8 in Offensive WAR (1965, 1967-1970, 1972, 1974)
5x NL Top 9 in Runs (1967-1969, 1972, 1974)
5x NL Top 10 in HR (1967-1969, 1972, 1974)
2x NL Leader in Putouts as an OF (1965, 1967)
2x NL Leader in Assists as an OF (1968, 1976)
Number "24" Retired by the Houston Astros

Outfielder: Lance Johnson, Princeton High School, Class of 1981, Played 1987-2000, Wiki
.291 BA, 1565 H, 175 Doubles, 117 Triples, 34 HR, 486 RBI, 384 K, 352 BB, .334 OBP, .720 OPS, 767 R, 327 SB

All-Star (1996)
6x League Top 9 in SB (1990, 1992-1995-AL, 1996-NL)
5x MLB Leader in Triples (1991-1994, 1996)
2x League Leader in Hits (1995-AL, 1996-NL)
2x AL Leader in ABs per K (1994, 1995)
2x League Top 2 in Singles (1995-AL, 1996-NL)
5x League Top 2 in Putouts as an OF (1991-1994-AL, 1996-NL)
5x League Top 4 in Assist as a CF (1991, 1992, 1995-AL, 1996, 1997-NL)
4x League Top 8 in Defensive WAR (1991-1993-AL, 1996-NL)
Tied for 1st in MLB in Fielding Percentage as an OF (1994)

Pitching
Starting Rotation
Jim Bunning, St. Xavier High School, Class of 1949, Played 1955-1971, Wiki
224-184, 3.27 ERA, 2855 K, 1000 BB, 1.179 WHIP, 519 Starts, 591 Games Played, 3760.1 IP

9x All-Star (1957, 1959, 1961-1964, 1966)
Pitched a Perfect Game on June 21, 1964
Pitched a No-Hitter on July 20, 1958
11x League Top 5 in Strikeout Leader (1957-1963-AL, 1964-1967-NL)
Ranked 18th in Career Strikeouts (2855)
7x League Top 6 in Shutouts (1958, 1960, 1961-AL, 1964-1967-NL)
Tied for 44th in Career Shutouts (40)
8x League Top 9 in WAR as a Pitcher (1957, 1959, 1960, 1962-AL, 1964-1967-AL)
Ranked 62nd in Career WAR as a Pitcher (60.5)
9x League Top 8 in Wins (1957-1959, 1961, 1962-AL, 1964-1967-NL)
Tied for 70th in Career Wins (224)
11x League Top 5 in Strikeouts per Walk (1957-1962-AL, 1964-1967, 1970-NL)
Ranked 75th in Career Strikeouts Per Walk (2.855)
7x League Top 4 in Walks and Hits per IP (1957, 1960, 1961-AL, 1964-1967-NL)
6x League Top 5 in ERA (1957, 1960-AL, 1964-1967-NL)
11x League Top 9 in Strikeouts per 9 IP (1957-1963-AL, 19964-1967-NL)
Ranked 42nd in Career Games Started (519)
Ranked 54th in Career IP (3760.1)
Number “14” Retired by the Philadelphia Phillies
Member of the Philadelphia Phillies Wall of Fame
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1996-VC)

Jesse Haines, Clayton, Ohio, Played 1918, 1920-1937, Wiki
210-158, 3.64 ERA, 981 K, 871 BB, 1.350 WHIP, 387 Starts, 555 Games Played, 3208.2 IP

3x World Series Champion (1926, 1931, 1934)
Pitched a No-Hitter on July 17, 1924
4x NL Top 6 in Wins (1921, 1923, 1927, 1928)
Ranked 98th in Career Wins (210)
5x NL Top 8 in Shutouts (1920-1922, 1926, 1927)
MLB Leader in Shutouts (1927)
4x NL Top 7 in Complete Games (1923, 1924, 1927, 1928)
NL Leader in Complete Games (1927)
6x NL Top 10 in Win-Loss Percentage (1921, 1923, 1926-1928, 1930)
4x NL Top 10 in Strikeouts (1920,1921, 1927, 1928)
3x NL Top 10 in ERA (1923, 1927, 1928)
Ranked 106th in Career IP (3208.2)
Member of the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame (1970-VC)

Sam Leever, Goshen High School, Class of 1889, Played 1898-1910, Wiki
194-100, 2.47 ERA, 847 K, 587 BB, 1.141 WHIP, 299 Starts, 388 Games Played, 2660.2 IP

World Series Champion (1909)
9x NL Top 10 in Win-Loss Percentage (1900-1908)
3x NL Leader in Win-Loss Percentage (1901, 1903, 1905)
Ranked 18th in Career Win-Loss Percentage (0.656)
7x NL Top 10 in Shutouts (1899-1903, 1906, 1907)·
Tied for 51st in Career Shutouts (39)
4x NL Top 10 in Wins (1903-1906)
Tied for 130th in Career Wins (194)
NL Leader in Earned Run Average (1903)
5x NL Top 10 in WAR for a Pitcher (1899, 1900, 1903, 1904, 1906)
Tied for 40th in Career ERA (2.47)

Charlie Root, Middletown, Ohio, Played 1923, 1926-1941, Wiki
201-160, 3.59 ERA, 42 Saves, 1459 K, 889 BB, 1.295 WHIP, 341 Starts, 632 Games Played, 3197.1 IP

4x NL Top 5 in IP (1926, 1927, 1929, 1931)
MLB Leader in IP (1927)
Tied for 108th in Career IP (3197.1)
6x NL Top 9 in Wins (1926, 1927, 1929-1932)
MLB Leader in Wins (1927)
Tied for 113th in Career Wins (201)
NL Leader in Win-Loss Percentage (1929)
6x NL Top 5 in Strikeouts (1926-1931)
6x NL Top 9 in Win-Loss Percentage (1927, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937)
5x NL Top 5 in Shutouts (1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931)
5x NL Top 8 in ERA (1926, 1929, 1933, 1935, 1938)

Claude Osteen, Reading High School, Class of 1957, Played 1957, 1959-1975, Wiki
196-195, 3.30 ERA, 1612 K, 940 BB, 1.275 WHIP, 488 Starts, 541 Games Played, 3460.2 IP

3x All-Star (1967, 1970, 1973)
World Series Champion (1965)
6x NL Top 7 in Shutouts (1967, 1969-1973)
Tied for 44th in Career Shutouts (40)
10x League Top 10 in Games Started (1964-1972-NL, 1975-AL)
Ranked 54th in Career Games Started (488)
6x League Top 10 in IP (1964-AL, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972-NL)
Ranked 77th in Career IP (3460.2)
6x NL Top 10 in Wins (1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973)
Tied for 126th in Career Wins (196)
Ranked 172nd in Career Strikeouts (1612)

Bullpen
Kent Tekulve, Hamilton Catholic High School (closed in 1966), Class of 1965, Played 1974-1989, Wiki
94-90, 2.85 ERA, 184 Saves, 779 K, 491 BB, 1.250 WHIP, 1050 Games Played, 1436.2 IP

All-Star (1980)
World Series Champion (1979)
12x NL Top 10 in Games Played as a P (1976-1984, 1986-1988)
4x MLB Leader in Games Played as a P (1978, 1979 1982, 1987)
Ranked 9th in Career Games Played as a Pitcher (1050)
7x NL Top 8 in Games Finished (1978-1980, 1982-1985)
3x NL Leader in Games Finished (1978, 1979, 1983)
Ranked 13th in Career Games Finished (638)
5x NL Top 9 in Saves (1978-1980, 1982, 1983)
Tied for 61st in Career Saves (184)
Tied for 118th in Career ERA (2.85)
Broke NL Record of Most Games Pitched in 1986 and Held the Record until 2004
Hold NL record for career IP in relief (1436.2)

Jeff Russell, Wyoming High School, Class of 1979, Played 1983-1996, Wiki
56-73, 3.75 ERA, 186 Saves, 693 K, 415 BB, 1.346 WHIP, 589 Games Played, 1099.2 IP

2x All-Star (1988, 1989)
6x AL Top 10 in Saves (1989, 1991-1995)
AL Leader in Saves (1989)
Ranked 60th in Career Saves (186)
MLB Leader in Games Finished (1989)
AL Rolaids Relief Man Award (1989)
Member of the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame

Joe Nuxhall, Hamilton, Ohio, Played 1944, 1952-1966, Wiki
135-117, 3.90 ERA, 1372 K, 776 BB, 1.340 WHIP, 287 Starts, 526 Games Played, 2302.2 IP

2x All-Star (1955, 1956)
NL Leader in Shutouts Pitched (1955)
3rd in NL Wins (1955)
2x NL Top 8 in ERA (1955, 1963)
2x NL Top 7 in WAR for a P (1955, 1963)
Youngest Player to Ever Appear in a MLB Game at the age of 15 Years Old
Member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame

Roger McDowell, Colerain High School, Class of 1978, Played 1985-1996, Wiki
70-70, 3.30 ERA, 159 Saves, 524 K, 410 BB, 1.386 WHIP, 723 Games Played, 1050 IP

World Series Champion (1986)
5x NL Top 7 in Games Finished (1986-1990)
NL Leader in Games Finished (1990)
Ranked 54th in Career Games Finished (430)
6x NL Top 10 in Saves (1985-1990)
Ranked 76th in Career Saves (159)

Jim Brosnan, Elder High School, Class of 1945, Played 1954-1963, Wiki
55-47, 3.54 ERA, 68 Saves, 507 K, 312 BB, 1.326 WHIP, 385 Games, 47 Starts, 831.1 IP

5x League Top 10 in Saves (1958, 1960-NL, 1961-1963-AL)
4x League Top 8 in Games Finished (1960-1962-NL, 1963-AL)
Fifth in NL HR per 9 IP (1958)
Seventh in NL WAR for a P (1958)
Seventh in NL ERA (1958)
Eighth in NL Win-Loss Percentage (1958)

Richard Dotson, Anderson High School, Class of 1977, Played 1979-1990, Wiki
111-113, 4.23 ERA, 973 K, 740 BB, 1.413 WHIP, 295 Starts, 305 Games, 1857.1 IP

All-Star (1984)
AL Leader in Shutouts (1981)
2nd in AL Wins (1983)
2nd in AL Win-Loss Percentage (1983)
6th in AL ERA (1983)
9th in AL Strikeouts (1983)
2x Top 8 in Hit per 9 IP (1983, 1984)

Bill Wegman, Oak Hills High School, Class of 1981, Played 1985-1995, Wiki
81-90, 4.16 ERA, 696 K, 352 BB, 1.294 WHIP, 216 Starts, 262 Games, 1482.2 IP

Hutch Award (1991)
5x AL Top 6 in BB per 9 IP (1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1994)
3x AL Top 10 in Complete Games (1991-1993)
2x AL Top 9 in ERA (1992, 1992)
2x AL Top 7 in BB and H per IP (1991, 1992)
2x AL Top 9 in Win-Loss Percentage (1991, 1994)

Honorable Mentions
Ethan Allen, Withrow High School, Class of 1922, Played 1926-1938, Wiki)
David Bell, Moeller High School, Class of 1990, Played 1995-2006, Current Reds Manager, Wiki)
Todd Benzinger, New Richmond High School, Class of 1981, Played 1987-1995, Wiki
Barry Bonnell, Milford High School, Class of 1971, Played 1977-1986, Wiki
Daryl Boston, Woodward High School, Class of 1981, Played 1984-1994. Coached 2013-Present, Wiki
Aaron Cook, Hamilton High School, Class of 1997, Played 2002-2012, Wiki)
Leon Durham, Woodward High School, Class of 1976, Played 1980-1989, Wiki
Mark Lewis, Hamilton High School, Class of 1988, Played 1991-2001, Wiki)
Jim Leyritz, Turpin High School, Class of 1982, Played 1990-2000, Wiki
Art Mahaffey, Western Hills High School, Class of 1956, Played 1960-1966, Wiki
Bill Sweeney, St. Xavier High School, Class of 1904, Played 1907-1914, Wiki)
Justin Masterson, Beavercreek High School, Class of 2003, Played 2008-2015, Wiki
Tim Naehring, La Salle High School, Class of 1985, Played 1990-1997, Wiki
Russ Nixon, Western Hills High School, Class of 1953, Played 1957-1968, Wiki
Ron Oester, Withrow High School, Class of 1974, Played 1978-1990, Wiki
Tuffy Rhoades, Western Hills High School, Class of 1986, Played 1990-2009, Wiki
Tony Scott, Withrow High School, Class of 1969,Played 1973-1975, 1977-1984, Coached 2001-2003, Wiki)
Scott Service, Aiken High School, Class of , Played 1988, 1991-2000, 2003-2004, Wiki
Pat Tabler, McNicholas High School, Class of 1976, Played 1981-1992, Wiki
Herm Wehmeier, Western Hills High School, Class of 1945, Played 1945, 1947-1958, Wiki
Active MLB Players
Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox, Madeira High School, Class of 2013, Outfielder, Wiki
Kyle Schwarber, Chicago Cubs, Middletown High School, Class of 2011, OutfieldeCatcher, Wiki
Adam Engel, Chicago White Sox, Loveland High School, Class of 2010, Outfielder, Wiki
Luke Maile, Toronto Blue Jays, Covington Catholic High School, Class of 2009, Catcher, Wiki
Brent Suter, Milwaukee Brewers, Moeller High School, Class of 2008, Starting Pitcher, Wiki
Josh Harrison, Detroit Tigers, Princeton High School, Class of 2006, Utility, Wiki
Joe Smith, Houston Astros, Amelia High School, Class of 2002, Relief Pitcher, Wiki

Creating a historic league with the best single-season teams ever

With a little extra time on my hands, I tried to come up with a challenge that might be entertaining. I've decided to try a league made up of the teams with the best winning percentage in a single season from professional baseball history. The setup is the same as the current Major League settings. Rather than American and National league, I have Pre-1886 and 1886 to current. This was divided based on the jump in games. So, my leagues are
1886 to current
Year Team Winning Percent

1906 Chicago Cubs .763
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates .741
1886 Chicago White Stockings .726
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates .724
1954 Cleveland Indians .721
2001 Seattle Mariners .716
1927 New York Yankees .714
1886 Detroit Woverines .707
1897 Boston Bean Eaters .705
1907 Chicago Cubs .704
1931 Philadelphia A's .704
1998 New York Yankees .704
1887 St. Louis Browns .704
1939 New York Yankees .702
1932 New York Yankees.695

Pre-1886

1875 Boston Red Stockings .899
1871 Boston Red Stockings .830
1880 Chicago White Stockings .798
1876 Chicago White Stockings .788
1885 Chicago White Stockings .777
1885 New York Giants .759
1871 Philadelphia A's .750
1884 Providence Grays .750
1874 Boston Red Stockings .743
1873 Boston Red Stockings .729
1875 Philadelphia A's .726
1885 St. Louis Browns .705
1876 St. Louis Brown Stockings .703
1879 Providence Grays .702
1877 Boston Red Caps.700

Unfortunately, the set up of the database meant that I couldn't use the 1884 St. Louis Maroons (.832 WP) or 1884 New York Metropolitans (.701) because of the league that they were in.
I divided the teams into divisions by years rather than WP which means that there is a division with the 1872 & 1873 Red Stockings and another with the 1906 and 1907 Chicago Cubs. It's not ideal, but it'll work.
I'm interested to see how the old teams compare to the new teams. I opted to run this in commissioner mode, so I won't be making any decisions. I thought it would be interesting to see how teams decide to handle free agency and international amateurs. All settings for finances are the default settings.
A few interesting notes
Top position players
I ran a report to look at who the best players were. The top 20 players in the league are all from 1939 or earlier with King Kelly ranking as the best. He's a catcher who is 80/65/70 in contact/poweeye. Second is Honus Wagner who is 75/75/65.
I'm happy to see that a 32 year old Babe Ruth (1927) is 9th while a 37 year old Babe Ruth (1932) is ranked 17th. So, OOTP does have some regression with age built in.
Top Pitchers
All of the best pitchers were from 1909 or earlier with the best being Deacon Phillippe (1902 Pirates). He has 65 Stuff, 80 control and 75 movement.
Key Player missing
One of the first things that I noticed is that the 2001 Mariners are missing Ichirio which, I suspect, would make them significantly less competitive. I opted to import him and place him on the Mariners team. He's only a 3 star player because he has 40 power and 30 eye.
Spring Training Stats
Sam Thompson finished Spring Training with a .507/.553/1.130 slash line and 12 HR with 23 RBI in 76 Plate Appearances for the Wolverines.
Charlie Sweeney had the best pitching stats. He managed a 1.11 ERA across 24.1 IP. He went 3-0 with 36 K's as well.
Random news and a GREAT quote
It seems the 86 White Stockings signed Luis Garza and let him playing during Spring Training. He was ejected (and later suspended) after arguing balls and strikes. This quote is gold. After the game, Garza told reporters "He was blind today. They played "Three Blind Mice" for him. If he doesn't know the words to the song, I'm sure we can get it in Braille, so he can follow along."
The Opening Week
Harry Wright of the 1873 Red Stockings made it an entire 4 days into the season before announcing that he'd be retiring at the end of the season.
Lou Gehrig got off to a fast start with a .529/.579 line in the first 4 games. That included 5 HR and 7 RBI in his first 4 games.
April
Hitting Highlights
A month into the season, Jack Stivetts (1897 Bean Eaters) looks to be a premier hitter. His 60 Contact/65 Power has led him to a .393/.417/.879 line with 20 HR and 60 RBI in just 31 games.
Cap Anson (1886 White Stockings) is hitting the ball all over the field with a .437/.525/.689 slash line. He's not showing a ton of power, but he does have 34 R and 38 RBI.
Batting WAR is a tight contest with Tip O'Neil and Jack Stivetts tied at 2.4. O'Neill is relying on his .416 average to carry him.

Pitching Highlights
We saw the first **no-hitter** by Orval Overall who blanked the 1927 Yankees with 10 K's and 1 BB in a 4-0 victory.
Jack Chesbro of the 1902 Pirates has been outstanding so far. His 0.65 ERA across 55.1 innings is easily leading the league. He's in good company with the Pirates having 4 of the 7 best ERA's in the league.
Chick Fraser leads the league with 11 saves.
Chesbro seems to be the early favorite for the Cy Young. He's leading pitchers with a 3.5 WAR (second is 3.0), a 0.65 ERA, a 0.58 WHIP and already has 2 Complete Game Shutouts.

Weird/Interesting Highlights
Through the first month of the season, pitches have accounted for 14 SB. The earliest leagues regularly used guys at multiple positions, so it makes sense that those pitchers can hit, but I didn’t expect that speed from them.
There's an obvious change in game style over time. The 1887 Browns lead the league with 97 SB. If you combine the 5 teams that make up the modern division ('32, '39, '54, '98, 2001) they have 52 SB combined.

Standings
Early on, most of the league is competitive with a few exceptions. The 1871 Philadelphia Athletics finish the month of April 4-27 (.129 W%) with a 16 game losing streak. The 1954 Indians are struggling to a 7-24 record (.225 W%).
It looks like the 1887 Browns and 1902 Pirates are going to have a close race for their division with the teams being 21-10 and 22-11 respectively. They're doing it in very different ways. The Browns have scored 237 Runs and allowed 204 while the Pirates have scored 147 and allowed 107. The Browns have a team slash of .304/.372/.473 while the Pirates are hitting .224/.277/.324.

May

Hitting Highlights
Sam Thompson's 32 game hitting-streak came to an end. He still managed a .475/.516/.831 May that included 11 HR.
Cal McVey (1B, 74 Red Stockings) was likely the hitter of the month going .488/.504/.934 with 12 HR and 51 RBI.
In a league where pitchers can do anything, 3 pitchers hit 7 HR each.
Surprisingly, May seems to be the month of the catcher. 4 different catchers put up a WAR of 1.8 or better.
Deacon White (Red Caps) .467/.541/.761 7 HR, 31 RBI 2.1 WAR
Deacon White (Red Stockings) .407/.491/.780 8 HR, 32 RBI 2.0 WAR
Bill Dickey .318/.409/.809 17 HR, 40 RBI 1.8 WAR
Barney Gilligan .360/.510/.560 3 HR, 20 RBI 1.8 WAR

May Splits Leaders:

BA
.488-McVey
.475- Thompson
.467- D White
.466- O’Neill
.457- Gallagher

HR
19- Schulte
17- Dickey
14- Gehrig
13- Sutton
12- McVey/Wilson

RBI
51- McVey
49- Sutton
48- Schulte
42- O’Neill
41- Burns

Season Leaders
It's a crowded race for the batting crown with **5 players batting over .422** through May. Tip O'neill leads the way at .439 but has Caruthers (87 Browns) on his heals at .438.
Schulte's **19 HR in May** put him in the lead at 36 for the season. Dickey, Geherig and Stivetts are tied for second with 28 HR.
Schulte has also taken the lead in RBI with 96. Tip O'neil is a close second at 92.
Tip O’Neill and Lou Gehrig are fighting for the WAR title.
Tip O'Neill .439/.49/.780 19 HR, 92 RBI, 62 R, 18 SB 4.6 WAR
Lou Gehrig .417/.535/.931 28 HR, 70 RBI, 68 R, 0 SB 4.6 WAR

Pitching Highlights
Charlie Sweeney was down right nasty with a .86 ERA across 42 IP. He also had 53 K to boot. His elite ERA in May has brought his season number down to 1.08 which is best in the league. Jack Chesbro is second with a 2.08.
Chick Fraser still leads the way with 16 saves.
While Deacon Phillippe is on an 8 game winning streak, Dick McBride is riding an 11 game losing streak.

Interesting Points
Bob Caruthers looks like the best 2 way player. Through the month of May, he's batting .337/.436/.691 with 11 SB while carrying a 2.94 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. He's a 2.5 WAR hitter and a 3.5 WAR pitcher at this point.

Comparing Steals
1887 Browns 179
Modern Division 102
That Browns team accounts for 15.23% of all steals in the league.
*League Standings*
The St Louis Browns have started to run away with their division. After a slight lead through April, the Browns now have a 42-18 (.700 WP) record which is good for an 8 1/2 game lead over the Pirates. The Browns have a +77 run differential and are an identical 21-9 at home and 21-9 on the road.
The 1906 Cubs are at 42-18 as well with a 2 1/2 game lead in their division. The Cubs have a +178 run differential and are better at home (24-7) than they are on the road (18-11).
The most competitive division may be the teams from 1884-85. All 5 teams are over .500.
The least competitive division may be our earliest tams (1871-1875). The 1874 Red Stockings have a 37-21 record and 3 of the other 4 teams are 11+ games behind.
The 1871 Athletics are historically awful somehow. With a **-210 run differential** they're riding a 9 game losing streak to a 10-48 record at the end of May. They're winning percentage has actually gone up from .129 to .172.

June

Hitting Highlights
Starting Pitcher Al Spalding managed to go .538/.531/.910 with 11 2B, 6 HR and 30 RBI while pitching.
Ross Barnes was the highlight of the offense this month with a .495/.579/.842 that included 7 HR and 22 BB. Lou Gehrig and babe Ruth each managed 15 HR this month.
It was a good month for Yankee hitters. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig each managed 15 HR. A modern Bernie Williams was able to manage 41 RBI, good for third best on the month.
Ross Barnes and Roger Connor led the way with a .495 batting average for each of them. Barnes ultimately posted the best WAR number for the month at 3.3.
King Kelly is still a force from behind the dish. He was easily the best catcher of the month with a .434/.560/.723 slash line that included 5 HR and 25 R.
Cap Anson saw his hit streak reach 33 games before getting cut short. Johnny Kling has the longest active streak with 27 games.

Pitching Highlights

Orval Overall was amazing in June. He led all pitchers with a 1.9 WAR. He had a 2.08 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with **66 K in 39 IP.** He also went 5-0 on the month.
We haven't discussed how bad some of the pitching is. Most of the truly terrible pitching is coming from fictional characters that the league is trying to back fill with. Luis Torres posted a 47.25 ERA by giving up 7 ER in 1.1 IP RP Frank Watt posted a 15.88 ERA in 11.1 IP. Calvin Rigbye allowed 7 HR in 9 IP. For actual historic players, Lil Stoner (you read that right, he is a real Player). His 15.83 ERA in June was pretty bad but he has a 10.45 ERA on the season though, so it seems fairly reasonable.

Current Season Leaders

Hitting

Average
.441- Connor
.430- O’Neill
.426- Spalding
.423- Barnes
.422- Anson

HR
46- Schulte
43- Gehrig
38- Stivetts
34- Ruth
33- Dickey/Thompson

RBI
121- Schulte
117- Stivetts
108- O’Neill, Ryan
107- McVey
WAR
7.3- Barnes
6.3- Gehrig
6.0- Barnes
5.8- O’Neill
5.7- Connor

Pitching
ERA
1.60- Sweeney
2.43- Pipgras
2.59- Chesbro
2.61- Tannehill
2.69- Keefe

Strikeouts
199- Chesbro
188- Ruffing
186- Gomez
178- Beebe
166- Bonds

Wins
13- Bechtel & Keefe
12- Hoyt
11- Beebe, Pipgras, Russo, Spalding

Saves
21- Goyette
20- Alvarez
19- Brown & Madden
18- Fraser

So, that's what I've got for now. I'm done for the day, but if you guys like this, let me know and I'll work on finishing out the season tomorrow. Hope you enjoy. Stay safe!

**Edit: Formatting

Wrapping it Up: 2019 End-of-year Trivia

current american league batting average leaders video

The Major League record for the highest batting average in the American League was .292, set in 1921, in the National League it was .303, set in 1930.. The Major League record for the lowest batting average in the American League was .230, set in 1968, in the National League it was .239, set in 1908.. Did you know that during the 1930 National League season; six clubs had a team batting ... If the new average is still the highest in the league, the player is crowned with the title even though he did not make 502 plate appearances. Tony Gwynn shares the National League record with eight batting titles, and Ty Cobb holds the American League and MLB record with a remarkable 11 titles. 2020 Regular Season Stats 2020 Spring Training Stats 2019 Regular Season Stats 2019 Sortable Team Stats Statcast Leaders Baseball Savant Top Prospect Stats Offseason Leagues Glossary. ... American League. Year to Date. All Positions. Select Player Pool. Select a Split. Standard. Expanded. Statcast. PLAYER. TEAM. G. AB. R. H. 2B. 3B. HR. RBI. BB ... Career Leaders & Records for Batting Average Create your own custom leaderboards Become a Stathead today and run queries with our Season and Career Finders to see the best seasons in MLB history. American League Batting Stats 2020 - Lineups Visit ESPN to view 2020 MLB stat leaders. MLB has enhanced its code of conduct pertaining to harassment and discrimination, has set up an anonymous hotline for those with information about sexual ... Get the latest MLB player rankings on CBS Sports. See who leads the league in Batting Average, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, Hits, On Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, On Base Slugging Percentage ... For batting rate stats, generally a minimum of 3.1 Plate Appearances/G, 1.0 IP/G, 0.67 Gm and Chances/Team Game (fielding), 0.2 SB att/Team Game (catchers), and 0.1 SB att/Team Game (baserunners only since 1951), and 0.1 decision/G for single-season leaderboards generally needed for rate statistics. For pitcher fielding the minimums are reduced ... Batting average : On-base percentage : Slugging percentage : Brantley: Cha20.339 : Brantley: Cha20.411 : Trout: Cha20.582: LeMahieu: Oro20.329 : Trout: Cha20 BATTING AVERAGE AB H.AVG; 1. DJ LaMahieu, New York Yankees: 195: 71.364: 2. Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox: 208: 67.322: 3. David Fletcher, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim